The behaviors of 90 different species of dolphins, whales and porpoises showed that the bigger the species’ brain, the more “human-like” their lives, according to a new study.
This analysis led scientists at the London School of Economics to believe that the human “cultural brain hypothesis” — which says that our intelligence grew and developed as a result of interacting and coping within large social groups — may also apply to these whales and dolphins. In the study, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, the researchers found that social patterns among the ocean-dwellers, such as hunting together and developing region-specific “languages,” leads to encephalization, or brain growth.
“It is interesting to think that whale and human brains are different in their structure but have brought us to the same patterns in behavior,” biologist Luke Rendell, who was not involved with the study, told the Guardian.
These smart animals are known to use tools, have specific calls for each other and even help raise little ones that aren’t their own. All of these advanced traits have led to encephalization, the study said.
“There is the saying that ‘it takes a village to raise a child,'” co-author of the study, Michael Muthukrishna, told the Guardian. “(This) seems to be true for both whales and humans.”
Also like people, cetaceans — whales, dolphins and porpoises — learn in groups more often than they do on their own.
“Those predominantly found alone or in small groups had the smallest brains,” research leader Susanne Shultz said.
But others have made a point of noting that there’s still much to learn about this cultural-brain hypothesis and how it compares in humans and other animal species.
“There is definitely a danger in comparing other animals to humans, especially with the data available,” Rendell said. “Studies with underwater mammals are difficult and vastly underfunded, so there is so much we don’t know about these fascinating animals.”
