08-21-2006, 09:38 AM
More scientific research, this time from Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand 
full article: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/7...6C49EC.htm
full article: http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/st...32,00.html
Quote:Dolphins may have big brains, but a South African-based scientist says laboratory rats and even goldfish can outwit them.
Paul Manger of Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand says the super-sized brains of dolphins are a function of being warm-blooded in a cold water environment and not a sign of intelligence.
"We equate our big brain with intelligence. Over the years we have looked at these kinds of things and said the dolphins must be intelligent," he said.
"The real flaw in this logic is that it suggests all brains are built the same... When you look at the structure of the dolphin brain, you see it is not built for complex information processing," he said...
full article: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/7...6C49EC.htm
Quote:...the dolphin, widely regarded as one of the smartest mammals, does not display enough sophistication in its behaviour to show any more intelligence than a lab rat or goldfish.
"You put an animal in a box, even a lab rat or gerbil, and the first thing it wants to do is climb out of it. If you don't put a lid on top of the bowl a goldfish will eventually jump out.
"But a dolphin will never do that. In the marine parks the dividers to keep the dolphins apart are only a foot or two above the water between the different pools."
Why not? Because, Professor Manger says, the thought would simply not cross their minds...
full article: http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/st...32,00.html