Academic Review 2024

16 ST EDWARD’S, OXFORD

PROBLEM SOLVING As mentioned earlier in the essay, the frontal lobe of the brain connects to problem solving (Hopkins Medicine, 2022) . These cetaceans both demonstrate equally prominent levels of problem solving. O. orca have found that instead of chasing individual fish, such as herring, there is greater reward in herding them into a baitball in which much higher numbers of herring can be caught for the same amount of energy. By flashing their white underneath and releasing air bubbles below the herring, they force the fish to the surface where they are left helpless, becoming an effortless meal for the pod (PBS, 2014). This proves the ability of killer whales to problem solve and develop incredible levels of efficiency. Memory and culture This section will analyse the levels of cetacean memory and culture. Several types of memory contribute to how well they understand their environment and remember its relevant information. Culture is a feature found in a limited number of highly intelligent species but has now also been discovered in cetaceans. Such prowess proves their extensive intellectual properties. MEMORY Memory is the ability to encode, store, and retrieve information for later use (Sherwood, 2014). Memory can be linked to intelligence in many ways, especially when referring back to the definition, connecting a species to their ability of survival. Memory allows for the storing of data taken from the surrounding environment. The exceptional memory of these cetaceans indicates their perception and awareness is similar to a very small number of other organisms, such as elephants and primates (Manier, 2013). Cetaceans have strong levels of short-term memory, also known as working memory, and this can be seen when they are asked to repeat certain tasks or actions with small rests between these tasks (Skaggs, 2014). Cetacean long-term memory, episodic memory, is also extraordinarily strong. Long-term memory involves the practice and consolidation of short-term memory to become effective for many years.

The problem-solving capacity of T. truncatus can be understood by their efforts to emulate certain human actions. An experiment was performed with a captive common bottlenose dolphin, named Tanner (Laboy, 2013). Even though one of his senses, in this case sight, was blocked by using a blindfold, Tanner was still able to copy the actions completed by a trainer in the water beside him, possibly using echolocation. Although this example focuses on a dolphin in captivity, it still proves their problem-solving abilities. Solving problems in the wild connects to the means of survival and longevity of these individuals. Both these cetaceans use echolocation to achieve success. It is required for survival, allowing for complex hunting strategies and sophisticated problem-solving techniques. A further aspect of memory is spatial memory. This is the ability of understanding one’s surroundings and the positions of different objects. Spatial memory has been studied in captive common bottlenose dolphins who were evaluated to see if they could remember where a hidden item was. A hidden toy was placed in four locations, graduating from first being in plain sight to being moved without the dolphins seeing. It was concluded that these dolphins have low levels of spatial memory and poor capabilities of keeping tabs on where the items were hidden (Skaggs, 2014). indicates their perception and awareness is similar to a very small number of other organisms, such as elephants and primates. ” “ The exceptional memory of these cetaceans