When it comes to animals/fish being smart or intelligent, it comes down to the species' "learned" instincts. An individuals insticts are programmed thru the animals ancestors. Certainly animals and fish are capable of learning, but the majority of its behavior is purely instictive, even in the case of those bred in captivity over generations. A fish that learns something that is beneficial to its well-being will pass that information on to its offspring, therefore making it somewhat instictive in successive generations.
Elephant nose intelligence
- Thread starter JamisonBWolsh
- Start date
actually alot of animals dont have any communication skills at all, and can not pass information down from generation to generation or their peers. I know alot of birds and reptiles are like this, i can only imagine it applies to alot of fish species also.
You used a "urban legends" and "snopes" as a site....try a scientific site please..Im loomking also
Somewhere over on yon shelf there is a book with an interesting bit on wolves, dogs, problem-solving and brain sizes in wild vs. domesticates. It'll have to wait for another day. I found Mind of the Raven first, which has a Chapter 27 Brains and Brain Volume.
Just some highlights:
"…in general, brain size increases proportionately to body mass. If brain size is greater than what would be predicted by body size alone, that is called the 'residual factor', and is a measure of the brains 'encephalization'. Humans are some of the most encephalized animals in the world, second only to some species of dolphins [ravens are the most encephalized bird]…
We intuitively infer that intelligence is correlated to brain size, and this inference is generally supported by a variety of criteria. It is also true, however, that we can't credibly claim that one species is more intelligent than another unless we specify intelligent with respect to what, since each animal lives in a different world of its own sensory inputs and decoding mechanisms of those inputs
Brain tissue is metabolically as active and hence as expensiveas muscle, and it is active day and night. Our brain accounts for only about 1.5 percent of our body weight, but it demands about 20 percent of our energy supply".
On a quick logic check:
As far as that vastly more intelligent than our predecessors bit, Neanderthals had a larger brain case than we do, absolutely and relatively. Quite a bit larger.
Just some highlights:
"…in general, brain size increases proportionately to body mass. If brain size is greater than what would be predicted by body size alone, that is called the 'residual factor', and is a measure of the brains 'encephalization'. Humans are some of the most encephalized animals in the world, second only to some species of dolphins [ravens are the most encephalized bird]…
We intuitively infer that intelligence is correlated to brain size, and this inference is generally supported by a variety of criteria. It is also true, however, that we can't credibly claim that one species is more intelligent than another unless we specify intelligent with respect to what, since each animal lives in a different world of its own sensory inputs and decoding mechanisms of those inputs
Brain tissue is metabolically as active and hence as expensiveas muscle, and it is active day and night. Our brain accounts for only about 1.5 percent of our body weight, but it demands about 20 percent of our energy supply".
On a quick logic check:
doesn't that mean that they're not using it for thinking?
As far as that vastly more intelligent than our predecessors bit, Neanderthals had a larger brain case than we do, absolutely and relatively. Quite a bit larger.
It might be a worthwhile study to see if LEARNED (as opposed to instinctive) behavior is passed on to offspring. That would indicate (to me, anyway) that there is higher brain function involved. Not learned from humans, from one fish to its offspring.
I am interested to hear what animals don't have any means of communication. Species lacking communication would have become extinct shortly after evolving.
how so? many animals are born fully independent and never see their parents...
sea turtles, birds, many fish, etc.
there are also many animals that can not "learn" from things, and dont have ability to rely complex messages.
sea turtles, birds, many fish, etc.
there are also many animals that can not "learn" from things, and dont have ability to rely complex messages.
Exactly, they survive on instinct, the most primitive form of communication between some species.
animals have to be able to communicate in some way in order to find each other and mate.....
as for communication with offspring, no, some species don't. Their behavior starts out completely instinctive.
as for communication with offspring, no, some species don't. Their behavior starts out completely instinctive.
