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History | Animals
The Most Heroic Dolphin In History Saved Hundreds of Sailors
The true story of Pelorus Jack.
There was an unmistakable intelligence.
The dolphin had just pulled up at eye-level level with me at the giant aquarium. He held his gaze in mine and, in that moment, I felt quite sad for him.
“This is not an animal that should be in a tank,” I thought. He was way too cognizant and curious for such confines.
No, it isn’t groundbreaking news that dolphins are smart. “How smart” has always been the question. For example, a recent study by Georgetown University showed that dolphins have the longest-lasting memory of any non-human species, including elephants.
They use sound pitches to recognize each other and can remember the whistles of acquaintances from decades prior. In short, they know dolphins by voice.
Dolphins aren’t newly smart either. They’ve been clever for tens of thousands of years.
Combine this with their affable, friendly nature, and high energy, and the result is many historic interactions with humans.
One dolphin, in particular, may have the title “Most Heroic Sea Mammal”.
