Are dolphins really smart? : the mammal behind the myth /

The title of this book, Are Dolphins Really Smart?, does not really do justice to the thorough investigation of dolphin behavior that follows. The answer is "of course," but Gregg (Dolphin Communication Project; co-editor Aquatic Mammals) then investigates the many dolphin myths "percolating in popular culture." He traces the mythology of dolphin intelligence back to John Lilly's work halfway through the last century, carefully examines claims, and thoroughly reviews procedures that have led to a more measured understanding of not just dolphin but also all animal intelligence. While underlining that intelligence is almost impossible to define in animals other than humans, he explores the possible relevance of brain size, mirror self-recognition and awareness, what Lou Herman's research proved, and the problem of what a language is and whether dolphins have one. Gregg is particularly clear on debunking the myth that dolphins are always peaceable and altruistic. In the end, he concludes that dolphins are smart, yes, but not so special that people should set them apart from other animals. Many animals have specialized cognitive abilities and all, as he says, "lead equally as wondrous and worthy lives"; his carefully constructed exposition leads readers gently to this conclusion. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers/faculty. J. A. Mather University of Lethbridge

In popular culture dolphins enjoy a reputation as happy-go-lucky sea creatures whose sophisticated display of social etiquette and amazingly intricate clicking language suggest a remarkable intelligence rivaling even that of humans. But how much of this lofty image is based on media hyperbole and how much on unvarnished evidence? In this thorough and engaging report on contemporary cetacean science, Aquatic Mammals coeditor and dolphin researcher Gregg separates the myths from the realities about these grinning SeaWorld stars. For starters, Gregg debunks many still widely believed notions first publicized by John Lilly, often deemed the father of modern dolphin research, such as the idea that larger brains (true for dolphins) necessarily correlate with higher animal IQs (not true for all animals). Also, while dolphins' echolocation talents give them enormous communication and food-finding advantages, similar abilities have been noted in animals as lowly as the common chicken. Though Gregg's studies of dolphin intelligence verges on the scholarly, his writing skills are solid and his observations are often fascinating.--Hays, Carl Copyright 2010 Booklist

Gregg, described as a "spokesperson for mainstream science," and co-editor of Aquatic Mammals, analyzes the state of scientific research on dolphin cognition-alongside other notable species such as apes, corvids, and bees-to address the mystique arising from John Lilly's writings about dolphin intelligence, which inspired some organizations to push for legal cetacean personhood. Gregg argues that defining an animal's intelligence as a single metric is an unscientific attempt to fit behaviors into a human-like model. He prefers operational definitions of specific cognitive tasks, which allow us to acknowledge limited skills, such as facial recognition abilities among sheep. Gregg dismisses brain size or the possession of specific biological structures as indicators of complex cognition, and highlights difficulties in test design for understanding a theory of mind, including the mirror self-recognition test. Defining language in terms of parameters like limitless expression and arbitrariness of symbols, Gregg shows that, like chimpanzees, dolphins have communication systems with some sophisticated characteristics, but which do not approach the complexity of human language. Finally, Gregg addresses the myth of dolphins as gentle creatures, highlighting aggressive behaviors and infanticide in the wild, leaving readers with a sense of dolphins as fascinating creatures, but not ones to put on a pedestal for wisdom, ethics, or nearness to the human experience. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Dolphins rank high in public opinion as animals exhibiting intelligence, altruism, peacefulness, social organization, and the ability to communicate. Gregg (research assoc., Dolphin Communication Project) has researched Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins and here examines our beliefs about the animals in light of peer-reviewed scientific research. He contrasts attributes of intelligence (soft science) with cognition (hard science) and discusses self-awareness, emotions, and skills at concept formation in the context of comparative animal psychology. Gregg's longest section explores "dolphinese," i.e., the existence of a dolphin language. Considering the scientific consensus on the characteristics of human language, he concludes that many animals, e.g., moray eels and elephants, communicate among themselves but that neither their communication nor that of dolphins can be considered language. While cooperative and altruistic dolphin behavior has been observed in captivity and in the wild, so has aggressive behavior within their own species and toward others. Ants, bees, and wasps band together to defend one another and their colonies; bears-not yet as closely studied-may rival dolphins and primates in cognition. Gregg uses scientific terminology, but there is no glossary. VERDICT Readers with academic backgrounds in zoology, psychology, or animal behavior will appreciate this work, while those who are fans of the late John C. Lilly's books on dolphin communication may not.-Judith B. Barnett, Univ. of Rhode Island Lib., Kingston (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.