Top 8 Smartest Marine Animals
1 Dolphins
As the Dolphin darling that swam into our hearts in 1964, Flipper is known as the dog of the sea, but he was one of many amazing Dolphins that have shown that they can learn tons of new tricks and stun us with their staggering intellect.
In addition to being our most loyal oceanic friends, Dolphins are also wicked smart; and might even be connoisseurs of fine art. In China, a dolphin named Xiaoquiang has tried his flipper at creating out-of-this-world masterpieces and actually mastered the art of painting.
Closer to home in Orlando, Florida, in 2016, a dolphin took exception to being filmed on an iPad and snatched it out of the voyeur’s hand and right into the water. Should have gotten him to sign a release form! While it’s hard to put a flipper on why these brainy mammals are just so dang smart, their body to brain ratio might hold a vital clue.
Dolphins’ brains weigh 3.5 pounds, larger than your average toaster! Humans’ brains clock in at a puny 2.9 pounds, so we have a considerable disadvantage when it comes to the grey matter. Dolphins also know how to work together to solve problems, which we humans haven’t quite mastered yet!
2. Orcas
Another brainy behemoth of the sea, Orcas are scary smart. These mammoth marine creatures have brains that weigh roughly 15 pounds or as heavy as your average 40-inch LED television. That’s about five times the size of your average human brain!
The only sea creature whose brain outweighs the mighty Orca is a Sperm Whale. Orcas have long and short-term memory functions and tend to develop tight-knit units that even have their own languages. Yes, not all Orcas speak the same language.
There are tons of Orca languages and dialects spread all across the world, which is why most scientists think it’s pretty cruel to keep Orcas from different pods in captivity. Orcas are so incredibly bright that they can even speak Dolphin! Although Orcas are known by the sensationalistic moniker “
Killer Whales,” these big beasts aren’t actually aggressive when left to their own devices in the open ocean. They tend to become nastier in captivity, usually due to a lack of freedom and stimulation. In other words, maybe it’s time to Free Willy!
3. Sea Lions
Sea Lions are so smart that some marine researchers think we should have an entire program devoted just to them. While Flipper might be known as the “dog of the sea,” Sea Lions could actually be our aquatic canine companions, helping humankind with important missions like defending harbors and ships, searching for underwater mines, and helping with search and rescue operations.
Maybe they should change the name to the “Navy Sea Lions!” These slippery sweethearts are smart enough to understand human commands and can even be trained in sign language. Don’t get it twisted, though; Sea Lions aren’t just parroting communication back to their handlers.
These creatures are capable of logically solving problems all on their own. Santa Cruz native and sassy California girl Rio is one of the smartest Sea Lions in captivity and is constantly surprising the scientific community with her reasoning and deduction skills.
If Rio is any indication, Sea Lions are capable not only of listening to commands… but making educated decisions to solve problems. Now that’s something to clap for!
4: Manta Rays
Rival Dolphins for the head of the class, and are almost certainly the brainiest fish out there, capable of solving complicated problems, learning new skills, and communicating across many different species.
Manta Rays are the ultimate goofballs, skipping across the surface of the sea in big schools and even interacting with people from time to time. Like Orcas, they are skilled in forming complex communities. Manta Rays have one very unique ability that sets them apart from the rest of the fish in the sea: they might be able to recognize their own reflections.
Very few creatures on the planet can do this, and it’s thought to be one of the building blocks of empathy. Since empathy is a quality only found in exceptionally bright animals… and let’s be honest, people… Manta Rays certainly qualify as the smarty-pants of the sea.
Their intelligence and charisma can also work in their favor. The more we learn about these amazing animals, the more countries like the Philippines, Ecuador, Mexico, and Australia are taking steps to protect their habitat, making their patch of coast a hospitable zone for these magnificent geniuses.
5 Penguins
Along with being undeniably adorkable, Penguins are incredibly intelligent, using teamwork to solve problems and outsmart prey bigger and stronger than they are. They also hunt together and can even find their way back to their colonies across vast landscapes.
When it comes to brainpower, Penguins are a lot like bright people. They have astoundingly detailed memories and can concentrate on difficult tasks without getting distracted. In one swoon-worthy case of inter-species bonding, a Penguin named Lala actually lived with a Japanese family for most of his life.
Lala, a King Penguin, got stuck in a fishing net and was rescued by a kind family who tried to return him to his native environment, but Lala had other ideas. The Penguin got attached to the family and kept finding his way home.
Eventually, Lala was adopted and got his very own air-conditioned room and tiny backpack for his daily waddles to the local fish market.
6. Octopuses
What they lack in backbone, they make up for in brains! Octopuses are one of the smartest sea creatures around, able to solve complicated problems in a flash and even trick their human captors time and time again. The trick lies in their nerve cells.
An Octopus’ brain is like an overactive switchboard, firing off neuron signals every which way. They use their massive brains to slip out of sticky situations, like the sea’s answer to Houdini; it’s nearly impossible to trap one of these invertebrates when they yearn for freedom.
In New Zealand, one such Octopus was able to wiggle its way out of an aquarium and down a 164-foot pipe. For reference, the Arc de Triomphe stands at 160 feet tall, so the Octopus had to do the equivalent of scaling that… and then some!
The New Zealand escape artist is only one example of the shenanigans Octopi get up to when they’re bored. These tentacled tricksters also have short-circuited lights in their enclosures by shooting water at them and can recognize and even bond with their human caretakers.
7. Sea Otters Sea
Otters happen to be borderline geniuses, outsmarting both Dolphins and Orcas with their mad tool-using skills. Sea Otters routinely use bits of shell, sea sponges, and rocks as tools, a skill that very few other creatures happen to possess.
It’s a stunning talent that certainly marks an animal as one who not only has the brains to think outside of the box, but the motor skills as well.
Sea Otters use sponges to shield their muzzles while hunting for fish, a skill shared with Dolphins- although scientists speculate that Sea Otters got there first. These animals use rocks as hammers or anvils, actually applying leverage to get what they want.
They primarily use rocks or pebbles to break open seashells and eat the yummy creatures inside. They are notoriously messy eaters and have to continually be chowing down to make up for their lack of blubber. If Sea Otters don’t get a nearly constant diet of food, they could die, which makes us wonder if their ability to use tools was borne out of sheer necessity.
One thing is for sure; Sea Otters are great at thinking things through from start to finish. Not only do they have to identify problems, but they then have to make a leap to deduce a way to solve them. That kind of critical thinking denotes uber-intelligence, the type that we once thought was reserved only for people.
Sea Otters don’t have opposable thumbs… yet, but watch out if these super-smart sea creatures evolve to develop that trait!
8. Great White Sharks
Let’s talk about the soft side of the Great White Sharks! Great Whites are usually associated with brute force and bloodthirsty might, but these often-misunderstood fishies have a whole other dimension to them. Great White Sharks are some of the brightest bulbs in the deep blue, and while their gaping maws get all of the press, they are really more defined by their sense of curiosity and play!
Great White Sharks routinely outsmart Dolphins and Sea Lions, and they are the ultimate adapters, switching from colder to warmer waters with ease. Very few other animals can change their environment or know to search elsewhere if the food supply is scarce.
All sharks, but especially Great White Sharks, play a critical role in keeping our oceans healthy and biodiverse. Without Great White Sharks swimming along at the top as apex predators, the entire sea system could be thrown into massive upheaval.
That’s why plenty of countries are taking steps to protect their valuable Great Whites. As for their fearsome reputation, many scientists speculate that it has a whole lot more to do with the Great White Shark’s curiosity than an insatiable lust for human blood- despite what Steven Spielberg would have you believe.Would you rather go head to head with an Octopus to get out of an escape room or wrestle a Sea Otter for their dinner? Let us know in the comments section below.
