Humans Not So Intelligent In Water

oscar wrote:

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"Dolphins have a popular reputation for being excellent communicators," Lindell said. "But our study group offered only three types of response to every question we posed: a nonsensical, labored wheezing, an earsplitting barrage of unintelligible high-pitched shrieks, and in extreme cases, a shrill, distressed scream."

Humans tend to emit the same kinds of sounds while flailing around in the ocean after falling in.

Even the dolphins' proven ability to navigate through a form of sonar called echolocation was ineffective on land.

How well do humans do underwater without machinery?

In another test, several pounds of mackerel were placed on the ground, separated from the test dolphins by only 20 feet of concrete. The dolphins were unable to reach the food and feed themselves.

I don't doubt it.

"In some cases," Lindell added, "the dolphins appeared to be looking directly into our eyes, as if pleading with us to help them perform better in these tests."

How about pleading to be set free and returned to their natural habitat?

Many scientists believe these findings may help to explain why dolphins, for all their vaunted intelligence, have never developed technology or agriculture, or harnessed the power of fire-skills still exclusively in the domain of Homo sapiens.

You try developing human-style technology without hands, or using fire
underwater. And why should dolphins develop agriculture when they
are carnivores?

Stupid test. I'd suggest turning the human scientists loose in open ocean with their hands encased in flipper-shaped gloves, to see
how long they survive trying to catch fish in their mouths.


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