Studies have found that bottlenose dolphins have personality traits similar to those of primates

Beijing, 28 Feb (Xinhua) -- On February 28, the "Reference News" published a report on the website of the British "Daily Mail" that "the study found that dolphins have human-like personality characteristics." The summary is as follows:

Psychologists at the University of Hull in the UNITED Kingdom and colleagues have studied 134 bottlenose dolphins in multiple countries for a total of nearly 10 years. They found that this marine mammal exhibited personality traits and curiosity similar to primates such as openness and sociability.

Monkeys and apes are known to have personality traits similar to those of humans. The study, which began in 2012, focused on whether bottlenose dolphins have personality traits similar to those of primates. The study's paper was recently published in the British Journal of Comparative Psychology.

According to the researchers working on the study, although bottlenose dolphins have long adapted to aquatic life, and the latest time they shared a common ancestor with primates was 95 million years ago, bottlenose dolphins have "several behavioral and cognitive characteristics" similar to those of primates other than humans. Chimpanzees and bottlenose dolphins, for example, live in so-called "fission-fusion" societies. This means that individuals have dynamic relationships within groups, and their individuals "merge" or "split" multiple times a day in group activities.

Blake Morton, a psychologist at the University of Hull in the United Kingdom who participated in the study, said he and his colleagues studied 134 bottlenose dolphins in Mexico, France, the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, the Bahamas and other countries, including 56 males and 78 females. It was found that these dolphins were similar to non-human primates in terms of openness and sociality of personality traits.

Morton also said that like many primates, bottlenose dolphins have much larger brain capacity than is needed to maintain their basic physical functions, "and this excess of brain matter becomes a source of their intelligence, while intelligent species tend to be curious."

The researchers conclude that no matter which ecosystem they live in, intelligence and social skills may play an important role in the evolution of certain personality traits. Further study of dolphins in terms of personality traits will not only help to better understand the species, but also primates and even humans themselves.

Source: Xinhua Net