Academic Review 2024

11 ACADEMIC REVIEW 2024

This essay will be split into four sections that evaluate intelligence in the way Professor Thomas White describes it. In the first section, I will analyse the structure of the brain and how it links to contrasting functions of an organism; this will set the frame for the other sections. In the next three sections I will then go into detail about how these cetaceans thrive in their environments using skills like communication, language and learning. I will then look at teamwork in the form of hunting and problem solving, and finally at memory and culture in the concluding section. Each of these skills are the branches from the trunk of intelligence. Going into the detail of these skills will prove their significance to survival, therefore broadening intelligence. MASS LEADS TO GREATER INTELLIGENCE This is false. If this were true, we would have the same intellectual powers as a mouse (Lechtenberg, 2014). Instead, another measure of the brain is used, EQ or “encephalization quotient.” EQ is the real brain mass of a certain species in contrast to the predicted brain mass for that species (Koch, 2016). This scale puts: • Homo sapiens at 7.4 - 7.8 EQ, above every other species • Orcanus orca at 2.57 EQ • Tursiops truncatus at 4.14 EQ (Marino, 2004) This scale alone would put T. truncatus above O. orca, although we must consider the differences in the various parts of the brain configuration as they lead to distinct functions and abilities which show how these cetaceans have adapted best to their environments. As stated in the definition of intelligence by Professor Thomas White, an organism’s intelligence is their ability to overcome obstacles in their environments to remain and flourish in them. SINCE THIS THEORY IS NOT VALID THEN MAYBE THE RATIO OF BRAIN SIZE COMPARED TO BODY

strategies inspired by the collective behaviour of social insect colonies and other animal societies’ (Wu, 2016). The term expresses how animal societies function most efficiently when working together, which can be applied to dolphin pods. I also need the ability to measure intelligence and to have a sense of its scale. Being able to measure intelligence allows me to further compare and contrast these cetaceans. Intelligence of an organism is measured by the following: ‘their sense of self awareness, their capacity for problem solving, and even an anatomic measure of brain size and complexity’ (Mikell, 2022). How brain structure links to intelligence This section explores the different assumptions about the brain. Comparing and contrasting the brain structure and size between Orcanus orca and Tursiops truncatus , I look at the links between brain and intelligence. ANIMAL IQ? Scientists have been trying to find a way to measure intelligence in animals. Human intelligence can be measured by taking an IQ “intelligence quotient” test. IQ tests usually require the use of pen and paper or a computer so are not useful for assessing animals and there is also the difficulty of ‘how motivated they are to perform’ (Balter, 2015). Scientists have been looking for another way to calculate animal intelligence levels. Sperm whales have the largest brains in the animal kingdom (OrcaNation, 2019). So, if a larger brain did lead to greater intelligence then sperm whales would be ruling the world. Thanks to modern technology, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) an image of an organism’s internal anatomy can be made. 26 fit human participants took part in an MRI scan project to measure their brain structure and size. This investigation concluded that brain size had little relation to IQ, with the brain volume relating to 9 - 16% of general intelligence (Koch, 2016). This does not provide a definite answer to the theory that brain size is linked to intelligence; it is undetermined. DOES A LARGER BRAIN LEAD TO GREATER INTELLIGENCE?