It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
Originally posted by RatoAstuto
Never have I seen footage of of other animals, not even our primate cousins, so much as sharpen a stick on a rock.
Primates
Tool use by a gorilla
An adult gorilla, possibly using a stick to gauge the depth of water
A chimpanzee gathering food with a stick
Research in 2007 shows that chimpanzees in the Fongoli savanna sharpen sticks to use as spears when hunting, considered the first evidence of systematic use of weapons in a species other than humans.[7][8] Chimpanzees and bonobos were observed in the 1970s using sticks as probes to collect ants and termites. Dr. Jane Goodall, on Nov. 4, 1960, observed a chimpanzee using a grass stalk to extract termites. Also they have been observed cutting down the stick with their fingers and teeth so that it can fit into a hole in the ants' nest. They have even been observed using two tools, a stick to dig into the ant nest and a "brush" made from grass stems with their teeth to collect the ants.
In one troop of chimpanzees, it was observed that a female was using a stick to break into a bee hive to acquire honey. Both bonobos and chimpanzees have also been observed making "sponges" out of leaves and moss that suck up water and are used as grooming tools.
Gorillas have been observed using sticks to measure the depth of water and as "walking sticks" to support their posture when crossing deeper water.[9]
Orangutans have also been observed using sticks to measure the depth of water. It has also been observed that orangutans in Sumatra use sticks to acquire seeds from a certain fruit. This is because the lining of the inside of the fruit has hairs that sting. On the island of Kaja, a male orangutan was observed using a pole to acquire fish from a net after observing local humans spear fishing.[10]
Tool use has been observed in capuchin monkeys both in captivity and in their natural environments. In a captive environment, capuchins readily insert a stick into a tube containing viscous food that clings to the stick, which they then extract and lick.[11] Capuchins also use a stick to push food from the center of a tube retrieving the food when it reaches the far end,[12] and as a rake to sweep objects or food toward themselves.[13]
Wild capuchin monkeys in many areas use stone hammers and anvils to crack nuts and encased seed.[14][15] They transport stones and nuts to an anvil for this purpose.[16] Capuchins also use stones to excavate tubers and sticks to flush prey from inside rock crevices.[17]
Dolphins are Self Aware - Why this matters so much
Originally posted by SavedOne
Forms of higher intelligence build transportation systems, dwellings, infrastructure, communications networks, etc. etc. etc.
I'm all for respecting dolphins (and all other animals for that matter), but all this talk of elevating dolphins as being equal to humans is completely laughable.
Originally posted by SavedOne
Dolphins are Self Aware - Why this matters so much
It doesn't matter at all, being self-aware is not proof of a higher form of intelligence. There's no question dolphins are smart, but so are chimpanzees. That doesn't put them in the same league as humans. Forms of higher intelligence build transportation systems, dwellings, infrastructure, communications networks, etc. etc. etc. These are the very things we search for when we seek out evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence. There is no creature on earth that has demonstrated the ability to build things other than man. There is a reason that we can't communicate with dolphins despite decades of trying, they do not have the capacity to thoughtfully communicate. Sure they can communicate basic messages like "I'm hungry" but so can any number of other animals. Even the average housepet can communicate that message and 20 or so other basics.
I'm all for respecting dolphins (and all other animals for that matter), but all this talk of elevating dolphins as being equal to humans is completely laughable.
Originally posted by templar knight
The original article on whether the dolphin has rights is pretty impressive. It was followed up by a thread on ATS.
Just as impressive, is that the dolphin is self aware , they can communicate and have a reasonably large vocabulary. Dolphins can use tools and pass on their skills to their pups. Dolphins have also shown emotions (by staring angrily at a cameraman).
The amount of intelligence that a dolphin has - opens all sorts of questions :
- Can a dolphin pass on knowledge verbally from one generation to the next? (Very likely)
- Can a dolphin tell a story? Can a dolphin visualise?
- If a dolphin is self aware then can it know right from wrong? Does it have a moral code?
- Does a dolphin have real choices and can it feel "bad" when it makes the wrong choice?
- Does a dolphin have faith? Does a dolphin have a soul?
If the answer to some of the questions are YES then the intelligence and conscious of the human is no longer unique. This has all sorts of moral (Dolphin Rights) as well as religious issues (God gave free will to two creatures not one).
This also has impacts on the disclosure of ET - many of the problems of disclosure is that it makes the human no longer the unique animal to have such a level of self awareness. However, the dolphin may have already crossed this ground.
I do think that these findings could be so fundamental in years to come
Originally posted by newcovenant
reply to post by templar knight
We have laws in place and saved a number of "human beings" from Capital Punishment, abuse and mistreatment and a few of these "human beings" were not as intelligent or self aware as the Dolphin and none of them as social. Dolphins have been known on many occasions to save the lives of humans by pushing them to shore or slamming into sharks. We have humans rotting in jail cells right now who not only never saved a life but have taken many and yet they have more rights and are still better respected than this creature.