Dolphin Evolution and Intelligence

The video explores why dolphins have large brains and are intelligent, a key question in animal studies. It discusses the evolution of dolphin brain size over 50 million years, highlighting a significant change 35 million years ago when their brains grew larger as their bodies became smaller. This change is linked to social ecology, suggesting that dolphins' sophisticated social behavior may have driven their brain development.

What is one of the major questions in the study of animal intelligence?

• How insects communicate

• How birds fly

• Why dolphins have large brains

• Why fish swim

What do fossil studies help scientists understand about dolphins?

• Their diet

• Their brain size evolution

• Their lifespan

• Their migration patterns

Approximately how many years ago did dolphins experience a significant change in brain size?

• 50 million years ago

• 35 million years ago

• 20 million years ago

• 10 million years ago

What happened to dolphins' bodies and brains 35 million years ago?

• Bodies got smaller, brains got larger

• Bodies got larger, brains got smaller

• Both bodies and brains got larger

• Both bodies and brains got smaller

What might have influenced the increase in dolphin brain size?

• Changes in their habitat

• Changes in their social ecology

• Changes in their diet

• Changes in their physical appearance

How are dolphins described in terms of their social abilities?

• Sophisticated

• Ordinary

• Simple

• Unintelligent

What aspect of dolphins' lives required more sophisticated tracking?

• Their migration routes

• Their sleeping patterns

• Their hunting techniques

• Their social life