Dolphin asks a diver for help... Amazing!

reply to post by Arken


It's good to finally see dolphins and men in harmony. I'm so glad you posted this... gives me hope. Thanks Arken!

S&F

Great Video. Made me smile. S&F

reply to post by Arken



This is a truly refreshing and much needed change of pace from the usual doom and gloom threads on ATS. Thank you so much. Star and flag.

reply to post by Arken


Thanks for sharing! Dolphins are incredibly brilliant creatures.

it is such a shame that humans are poisoning their world with
trash and radiation.

I have had the privilege of swimming with dolphins,. they are great creatures.

Give that man a medal!

reply to post by Arken


Hmmm, am I the only person to notice that the divers WENT to the dolphin, WITH the gear and video camera, and not what the OP claims in his title, that the dolphin went looking for help? An interesting example of social psychology I think: people dial down their critical thinking skills when they expect to see a video depicting a dolphin seeking human help - an "awww" moment that they can't help but partake in.

In any case, dolphins really are a strange creature. Why are they sociable? It boggles the imagination (or at least my imagination). Dogs are sociable because they've formed natural bonds with man - bonds that have been cemented over thousands of years of human-dog relationship. Dolphins on the other hand are aquatic creatures. Why should they feel so comfortable and safe around us? What prior history could a dolphin - or as a collective species, dolphins - have, in feeling so safe around us?

Every animal assumes a defensive pose when confronted by man. A lizard will scurry away; a bird will carefully watch you as you approach, and if you get within it's personal space, it'll fly off. Fawns are so terrified of humans that they freeze and play dead when you come near them. They haven't even the will to flee or fight! But dolphins, for some wonderful, mysterious reason, this creature seems interested in us; it'll help us if we find ourselves in need of help; it'll come towards us if we want to make contact with them; they even swim by our ships, as if in celebration of our being present in their waters.

From an evolutionary perspective, this is completely incongruous. And indeed, it forces an approach different from how we understand other creatures. Despite our lack of proximity and relatedness, dolphins feel comfortable around us. Most creatures experience anxiety - take a defensive stance of fight/flight/freeze - when humans enter their vicinity. But dolphins don't. What are dolphins experiencing, or rather, doing, at a cognitive level, that allows them to experience such safety? Are they natures daredevils? So used to being at the top of the food chain, and generally playful, that their response towards humans is a flippant sui generis instinct? Or, is it possible, given dolphins reputation for magnanimity, that they possess some type of reasoning ability that stifles reactions that don't seem warranted? The problem with this interpretation is that it doesn't seem to be evolutionarily justifiable; what environmental process unique to dolphins forced this type of development? Why should a dolphin possess reason? What usefulness does reason have to a dolphin?

Humans have reason because we possess unique characteristics that forced it's evolution. Simply take a look at the complexity of our experience - our emotions, our desires - and for the sake of human sociability, for the sake of our own and collective good, reason emerged to advance those specific interests. But what of dolphins? Clearly, this behavior they show towards humans is anomalous. No other creature is like that - in that they have no good reason, no prior established relationship with human beings - to assume that we are safe (in fact, if they were observant, they'd assume the exact opposite).

I have no adequate answer. I can only point out the problems in anthropomorphizing dolphin behavior according to evolutionary theory.

As for the video itself, it's beautiful to see Dolphins so relaxed and trustful around us.

It's an extremely beautiful thing.

The other day I was musing over how happy I am that my dog feels comfortable to express herself whenever she see's other people (my mom and me, for example) expressing positive emotion. Some owners mistreat their dogs so badly that they develop a sort of canine developmental trauma; if they see goodness around them, they'll hesitate to engage the people exhibiting it (this is how my cousins dog was like).

Anyways. Mammals and humans share a basic, foundational common experience (in the nervous system, this is reflected in the bifurcation of the vagus nerve into ventral and dorsal areas, known as the DMNT and the NA; in non-mammals i.e. reptiles, etc, there is no such bifurcation). We both know good and bad. If my dog hears yelling, she lowers her head and slinks her tail between her hind legs, as if to hide herself from the clamor around her. Conversely, if she sees people joking, she'll gleefully jump in and try to get involved...It's the cutest thing.

I love that we are able to connect with animals at this level. And it's not just dogs; all mammals are able - to varying degrees - to emotionally connect with humans.

Just a late night thought....

I'm willing to bet a grey alien would NOT do the same for us.

Anyone know of any stories of aliens helping wounded or sick people?

I can't think of any off hand....

In fact typically I think it's the opposite effect.

What does that say?

He didn't even say thank you

We are the assigned caretakers of this planet!!

Dolphins know this better than we do!!

Well, look at it this way...if dolphins only kill humans when no-one's watching, that proves their intelligence too...

Dolphin is saying "Help me bro!" in Sonar!!