Deep Thinkers Ocean Giants

This is a bottlenose dolphin.

Its brain is one of the largest in the animal kingdom.

Even larger than our own.

It's thought to be one of the most intelligent creatures on the planet.

Dolphins, along with their larger cousins the great whales...

..live in a world entirely alien to our own.

It's hard to imagine

what's going on in their minds.

Trying to reveal their secrets, scientists

who have dedicated their lives to understanding them.

I think we could talk with the dolphins within five years.

And taking us closer than ever before,

two of the world's top underwater cameramen.

Fantastic! Today is the best day of my life.

It's a peach! That's one of the most awesome things you can see anywhere.

Like us, whales and dolphins are big-brained

and live complex social lives.

But just how intelligent are they?

Off the coast of the Bahamas lies a tropical paradise.

These calm, clear waters

are the perfect setting for one of the world's

most in-depth research projects on wild dolphin communication.

The degree to which an animal can communicate

is an excellent measure of its intelligence,

so how do these Atlantic spotted dolphins perform?

Behavioural biologist Denise Herzing is a world expert on dolphins...

and dolphin-speak.

Well, they make echolocation clicks, so they...

Which are?

SHE IMITATES ECHOLOCATION CLICKS

Hey, she's good, huh?

CONTINUES IMITATION

Denise has spent the last 26 years

studying the local dolphins, and knows each one personally.

Hey, it's Stubby! Stubby! We haven't seen Stubby all year.

Her goal is to understand how they communicate

with sound, touch and body postures.

She does this by recording their behaviour

using a specially designed hydrophone and underwater cameras.

Later, she analyses the footage and sound recordings

in an attempt to understand just what they're saying.

Thanks to Denise's enduring relationship with these dolphins,

cameramen Doug Allan and Didier Noirot

have a unique opportunity to capture

the huge range of dolphin communication.

Things that are good to do are to make eye contact

if they're interacting with you.

Don't turn upside down - that's a signal of

-a mating or aggression.

-Ah, yes.

OK, here's the big tip. whoever behaves themselves best

and shows the best etiquette with the dolphins

is probably going to get the best footage,

so that's your challenge.

Yeah, we're ready.

As they get in the water, the team are confronted by a family group...

..including a mum and her young calf.

In the dolphin world, a mother will look after her calf

for up to five years,

giving her plenty of time to teach everything she knows.

When mum and calf separate,

they keep in contact by making their own unique signature whistle.

DOLPHINS WHISTLE

Dolphins also learn the signature whistles

of the others in their group, so they can call each other by name.

DOLPHINS WHISTLE

Besides humans, dolphins do seem to be the only group of animals

that have individual names for each other.

These dolphins know Denise and accept her as one of the family.

But this youngster has discovered someone new.

Like any inquisitive toddler, he can't help but investigate Didier.

Mum immediately calls him back.

It seems talking to strangers might have got him into trouble.

Mum is pinning her calf to the ground

and buzzing him with clicks of sonar.

In dolphin-speak, this is the equivalent of a good ticking off.

Like all youngsters, this one needs to be taught his boundaries.

Soon, all is forgiven and Mum reassures him with gentle body rubs.

That little one was obviously so attached to his mum.

-You know, he was right under... Was it a he or a she?

-It was a he.

A he. Just obviously making lots of contact.

Of course, what is great

is that it's them choosing to spend time with us.

In dolphin society,

communication can help cement the bonds within families,

but it also has a darker side.

These are younger males. They're not so old, so they're probably learning.

Chuff, they're like...

SHE EXHALES SHARPLY

..and it's usually when they're hyped up and getting ready to chase and fight.

This time, as they enter the water,

there's a cacophony of clicks and whistles.

Trouble is brewing.

Male dolphins form small gangs,

synchronising their movements and vocalisations.

DOLPHINS CLICK

When they're together, they seem to create their very own gang whistle.

This gang of male teenagers are chasing Amanda,

a female Denise knows well.

They're trying to impress Amanda with their synchronised moves.

She doesn't seem too happy with all the attention,

fending them off with high-pitched squeaks

and slapping her tail.

They keep buzzing her with ultrasound to check she's in season.

But now, they've got competition.

CLICKING AND WHISTLING

It's a gang of older males.

The battle over Amanda has begun.

Down on the seabed, the two gangs

go head-to-head.

Completely ignored by the dolphins,

Didier gets a rare chance to record this intense showdown close up.

Each side is posturing and jaw-clapping in synchrony

to make them appear bigger and stronger.

It's intimidation based not on violence,

but on a high level of communication.

Then, suddenly, the fighting stops.

The old boys have seen off the young guns.

Their argument was clearly more persuasive.

-DOUG:

-Wow, wow!

-Did you see that?

-There's lots of action going on there!

They came all together mid-water

and they click-click-click-click click-click.

Sometimes, you could see them,

a big curved posture with the beak open.

That's really extreme aggression, and, you know, they don't have

facial muscles and expressions, right,

so that's how they express themselves.

Their beak going like this. It was great.

It's a great example of coalition behaviour.

Denise has yet to decipher

all the subtleties of these amazing interactions.

Her dream is one day to crack their code

so that she can understand exactly what they are saying.

But how close is she to really talking to dolphins?

I think the technology exists

and I think our knowledge of the dolphins out here exists

to do that within five years, to start that process

of having a meaningful exchange with the dolphins.

But communication is only part of being smart.

Intelligent animals are also inquisitive animals,

and there are few animals as inquisitive as dolphins.

West of the Bahamas, off the Caribbean island of Roatan,

the local dolphins are in for a surprise.

Professor Stan Kuczaj is joined by cameraman Doug,

and he's about to perform a very strange experiment

with one of the most curious species of dolphin - the bottlenose dolphin.

OK. This is what we're going to put in the water...

This little dolphin is already intrigued,

and the experiment hasn't even begun!

Stan's machine blows bubble rings,

something these dolphins won't ever have seen before.

What will the dolphins make of these bubble rings?

Initially, like most animals, they're a bit wary...

but then, curiosity gets the better of them.

One individual seems particularly spellbound.

She's checking out the bubbles not just with her eyes,

but also with clicks of sonar.

And then, she braves the bubble ring.

This courageous explorer has paved the way for the others.

Just like human toddlers,

it doesn't take long for these imaginative creatures

to make a game out of their new toy.

Even after hours with the bubble rings,

the dolphins are still experimenting.

And each has got their own version of the game.

One dolphin prefers a tail flick.

Another a fin flick.

And the real show-off goes for the swim through.

While some animals will show initial interest in novel objects,

very few will maintain this level of curiosity

and playfulness for so long.

Wow! That was amazing.

I was going to say, what did you make of that?

That was amazing. There's a lot going on.

Lots of inventive play.

Lots of inventive play,

lots of curiosity, lots of flexibility -

the dolphins aren't just doing the same thing over and over again,

they're trying different things.

I think what we're seeing is that combination of curiosity

and the ability to change your behaviour, which I think is

one of the hallmarks of dolphin intelligence.

This inquisitive nature and willingness to try new things

enables dolphins to adapt to different situations.

This has huge advantages for their survival in the wild.

Perhaps the best place to see this is the western coast of Australia.

With sun, sand and rolling waves,

it might seem like an idyllic dolphin paradise.

But the seabed here is one of the toughest environments on the planet.

Finding enough food to survive is a huge challenge...

..but the bottlenose dolphins that live here

have come up with a whole variety of strategies.

In Shark Bay, the few fish to be found

have taken refuge in the shallows.

The dolphins can't swim in water this shallow,

but they've come up with another way of getting to the fish.

Their daring solution is hydroplaning.

Pumping their tails,

they work up enough speed to skim across the surface.

It's a very risky strategy.

If they get it wrong, they could beach themselves.

But it's a gamble they're prepared to take.

The fish have nowhere left to go.

Only a handful of these brave and brainy dolphins

have mastered this remarkable technique.

500 miles further south,

the local dolphins face a very different challenge.

Here, the seabed is coated with seagrass.

While there's plenty of food for dolphins, the long fronds

interfere with their sense of echolocation,

making it difficult for them to detect any hidden prey.

Again, the dolphins have come up with their own clever plan.

Dolphin expert Sarah Robinson has spent many years

following these dolphins, and discovered the secret

of their success. Stingrays.

It doesn't take long for her to spot two of the dolphins she's after,

the charmingly named Zit and Pimple.

-They're just here.

-Just under the water here.

And they look like they're diving.

I've put off the cold water long enough, so I'm going to have to

get in and check out if they are following a stingray.

Fingers crossed they are, and I'm not going in for nothing.

Yeah, I'm in neutral, go for it, go, go, go...

-They're on a stingray!

-Yeah?

Sarah free-dives to the grassy seabed

and catches a rare glimpse of this strange association.

CLICKING AND WHISTLING

Armed with a lethal barb on the end of their tails,

these stingrays pose a threat to both humans and dolphins.

Zit and Pimple are taking quite a risk,

but they don't seem to be put off as they shadow the ray's every move.

The ray seems to have found something.

Undulating its wing-like fins, it's trying to flush out hidden prey.

An octopus - a real delicacy for both stingray and dolphin.

Stingrays have an ability that dolphins lack -

they can locate prey hidden beneath the seagrass

using the electro-receptors on the underside of their bodies.

And the dolphins have worked this out.

She got it! She got an octopus!

The dolphins have solved the problem

of how to find their favourite food in the long seagrass.

They're harnessing an ability of another species for their own ends.

The stingrays have done all the hard work,

only to be outsmarted by the dolphins.

Further up the coast, at Monkey Mia beach,

a group of bottlenose dolphins

appears to have joined forces with another species.

They arrive here at exactly the same time every morning.

So what is the reason for this daily routine?

40 years ago, a particularly curious dolphin,

that the locals christened Charlene, overcame

her fear of humans and started herding herring under the quay,

making it easy for fishermen to catch them.

She was well rewarded for her help, and the relationship blossomed.

Soon, she was returning every morning at exactly 7:15.

Today, Charlene's granddaughters and great-granddaughters

carry on the tradition

and continue to return at the same time every day.

Now, instead of fishermen, it's rangers and tourists

that help keep the partnership going.

These dolphins will go on to teach this behaviour to their offspring,

continuing to pass it on through successive generations.

This group of dolphins' ability to learn, adapt and teach

has guaranteed them and their offspring a much easier life.

But it's not just Australian bottlenose dolphins

that are super-smart.

On the other side of the world, off the southern coast of Florida,

a group has gone one step further.

In the shallows of Florida Bay, the fish can be very difficult to catch.

With the tide receding,

this female moves into position downstream of the fish.

And then, she does something remarkable.

Beating her tail, she stirs up the silt.

She has created a V-shaped wall of mud.

A fish trap.

Caught in the jaws of the trap, the fish have nowhere to go,

except up.

This ingenious hunting strategy

has been passed down successive generations

and this female is teaching it to her own youngster.

Just how these dolphins first came up

with this extraordinary strategy is a mystery.

But their use of mud to catch fish

clearly demonstrates their unique powers of creativity.

Perhaps it's this creative intelligence

that draws us to these magical creatures.

Certainly, dolphins' curiosity and playfulness captivate us.

But what of their larger cousins - the great whales?

They have the largest brains of all,

so what about their intelligence?

Are they super smart too?

These humpback whales are on a marathon journey.

They've been swimming for the last three months.

And their destination is the west coast of Alaska.

The summer sun has fuelled an explosion of life

in these deep fiords.

Plankton blooms have given rise to huge shoals of herring.

And this fish bonanza is why the humpback whales

have travelled over 3,000 miles.

But feasting on these fish isn't straightforward.

The herring choose to gather in the depths of the fiords,

where it's easier to escape from predators.

For the whales to catch them,

they'll need an ingenious hunting strategy.

Scientist Fred Sharpe knows of a particularly smart

group of humpback whales that have

a clever solution to catching herring,

and he's invited Doug along to help him record key players in the group.

So how does Fred rate their chances of finding them?

-100%.

-100%, that's great.

This is their home, we've just got to find where the party is.

It's like a nightclub, you know, find out where the hot spot is.

Two weeks ago, it was right here. Right now, it's hard to say.

But we'll find them, we'll find them.

Fred has names for over a thousand whales that come here,

but only 50 are part of what he calls the A-team -

a super-smart group of whales that work together in an extraordinary way.

The unique shapes and marks of each whale's tail fluke allow Fred to tell who's who.

There's one...over there.

There he goes, show us who you are, baby. Let's see it.

Got it. Hey, it's...it's Samurai.

Doesn't it look like a mandarin with a sword marching along?

It does slightly.

Unfortunately, he's not one of our core community of whales

that we're looking for. He's just a lone Samurai doing his thing,

and a good sign, it shows there's feed in the area.

Fred has known Samurai for the last eight years.

He's one of the older humpbacks, but not one of the smartest.

Fred and Doug come across more whales.

Some single, some travelling in pairs,

but still no sign of the A-team.

Day after day, the search continues.

Just put it on the ground.

At last, they come across a group that's fast asleep.

It's just like a log floating on the surface.

Without any tail flukes visible,

it's very hard to identify individuals.

Yeah, it seems like these animals can teach us a lot - cooperation,

majesty - but the one thing they really teach you is patience.

You can say that again!

He's up to something now.

-Who is this?

-He's going to fluke now.

-So who's that?

-It's Vulture.

That's one of the leaders, Vulture.

-That's Vulture.

-Sweet!

Sweet, indeed.

They've found Vulture, one of the ring-leaders of the A-team.

It's a peach!

That's one of the most awesome things you can see anywhere,

-isn't it, a full breach?

-Phenomenal.

You know, it's funny, everyone's had a nice long nap and seems like they're starting to wake up.

It's like sometimes, certain whales - let's get it going on, people,

-let's get it going on, let's get your pec flippers in the air!

-See!

They've found the A-team and they're certainly waking up.

No-one really knows why humpbacks make these fin slaps

and spectacular breaches.

Perhaps the herring have been spotted

and this is the team's call to action.

Fred and Doug track the whales as they move to the shoreline.

According to Fred, this is a favourite hunting spot.

Once again, they seem to be having...

difficulty finding the prey.

This is awesome to see these whales here, these are the core community,

these are the leaders, these are the main bubblers and vocalisers,

this is a very good sign.

They're like apparitions, you know?

That is all magic.

Now they're listening out for the distinctive herding call

and looking for a telltale circle of bubbles.

We've been listening to these beautiful mournful calls for

15 years now and we've been able... Oh, oh, I hear it.

< Right here, right here, to the left, quick!

HERDING CALLS

-That's just...

-Yeah...

-That's really peachy.

-The biology is cool, but the beauty just bowls you over.

-It's lovely.

At last, the A-team are starting to feed.

-We're just so close and obviously laid back.

-It's taken us a while

-to find the crew.

-There were times I was a disbeliever, Fred,

but you've come up with it. That's really lovely, beautiful.

< Lunge bubble-net near shore.

OK, right.

< Very near shore.

-OK, I'm on it, I'm on it, I'm on it... Oh, nice bubbles.

-Nice.

You do get perfect warning, when it's flat like this,

they throw that lovely, perfect bubble, perfect ring.

They're making it. Whoever the tool-users are here,

they're throwing a big, glorious net too, right?

The A-team's strategy for herding herring from the depths

relies on a highly-coordinated attack

in which each whale has a crucial role to play.

Using sightings like these, as well as recordings from hydrophones and sonar equipment,

Fred and his team have built up a detailed picture

of what's going on beneath the surface.

Following the ringleader,

the whales dive down together and each one moves into position.

There are the herders - they circle the fish with flashing fins,

keeping the shoal contained and preventing its escape.

Then there is the caller -

the one who dives below the shoal and emits a deafening cry.

HIGH-PITCHED CRY

As loud as a rocket launch,

180 decibels of sound pressure blasts through the water.

In an attempt to escape from the noise,

the panic-stricken fish are driven upwards.

This is where the ringleader comes in.

Taking up position above the herring, it begins

blowing out a stream of air to create a fizzing net of bubbles.

The shoal is prevented from dispersing by the herders,

and driven up by the caller right into the bubble-net.

Then all the whales

gather underneath the fish trapped in the net.

With mouths wide open, the A-team burst through the surface, engulfing their prey.

By hunting together like this, each whale can catch

up to half a ton of herring a day.

Surprisingly, Fred has discovered that none of the A-team is related.

Like us, humpback whales

can form friendships that last for many years.

This spectacular display of teamwork

is perhaps the ultimate demonstration of coordination

and cooperation in the whale and dolphin world.

But are whales and dolphins capable of even higher thought processes

that only a tiny elite of life on earth can lay claim to?

Are they capable of self awareness,

what one might call existential thought?

At Baltimore Aquarium, some very special bottlenose dolphins

are participating in one of the world's leading studies

into what dolphins might think about themselves.

Professor Diana Reiss has spent over 25 years studying dolphins'

cognitive abilities, that is, how they make sense of the world.

And she's witnessed some astonishing behaviour.

Recently, we did studies where we actually gave dolphins...

See, they're actually interested in looking at...

And her precision instrument to unlock the dolphins' inner secrets?

A mirror.

So we have, OK, a mirror like this.

So what we do is we give them the mirror.

These dolphins have never seen a mirror in their lives.

How will they react?

And here it comes.

There's some other dolphins coming up as well right now.

True to form, they're instantly intrigued.

So what they first do is explore the mirror, they try to look behind it,

they try to figure out what this new thing is.

They also look and show behaviour

like they're looking at another dolphin.

This behaviour is shared with monkeys and even birds,

but the dolphins do something that sets them apart.

It looks like they're testing the effects of their own behaviour in front of the mirror,

understanding that there's a relationship between what they're doing

and what they see in the mirror. They understand that that's themselves.

This next step requires a giant mental leap

of which very few animals are capable.

It's great, I can watch this all day!

-You'll have to be my research assistant.

-It's just great!

This is why I do it, it's fascinating.

There's something even more fascinating that happens

when the dolphins are left with a mirror for longer.

It's subtle, but the implications are profound,

and to see it, we need to go into the ominously named Pit.

It's very cosy down here.

Here, Diana puts up a two-way mirror.

While the dolphins just see a reflection of themselves,

Doug can remain hidden from view recording their reactions.

These dolphins have been staring into the looking glass for over

a year and just can't get enough of their own reflections.

-This is Foster.

-Foster, yes.

-He's three.

-He's really curious.

Not only have they worked out that the reflection is theirs,

but they seem endlessly absorbed by the image they see.

They're using the mirror as a tool to view themselves,

and it also suggests that they're interested in what they look like.

That requires a sense of self. This is a very high level of awareness.

Only humans, great apes and elephants share this sophisticated level of self-awareness.

But can these apparently narcissistic tendencies

reveal more about the inner workings of their minds?

Human babies only start to recognise themselves in a mirror

at the age of about two years old.

And it's at this age that they also start to show another ability -

empathy, the capacity to identify

and understand the feelings of others.

Is it possible that whales and dolphins could mirror

the emotional development we see in human babies?

Might they too be able to empathise with others?

Off the eastern coast of Mexico - in Baja, California -

there is one group of whales that behave in a way that suggests

they ARE capable of feeling for others.

Female grey whales gather each year in these warm, sheltered waters

to give birth and to nurse their calves.

But this whale nursery wasn't always a safe haven.

Only 75 years ago, it was the site of many a massacre.

Whalers could pick off the slow-moving greys with ease.

The whales fought back.

Their attacks were so ferocious

that they became known as hard-headed devil fish.

Even after hunting was banned,

whales and humans remained wary of each other.

Then something extraordinary happened.

In 1972, a local fisherman, Pachico Mayoral,

had an encounter he would never forget.

TRANSLATION: On that fortunate day, I wasn't looking for whales.

I was fishing, but then, unexpectedly,

a whale came up alongside my boat

and it started poking its head out of the water. I was afraid.

Expecting the boat to be wrecked by the devil fish,

Pachico was amazed when the whale gently

nudged alongside his tiny boat and looked into his eyes.

Overcoming his fear, Pachico reached out and stroked the whale.

After the initial excitement, I calmed down.

Then I realised that the whales, despite how powerful they are,

can live alongside us humans.

I think that the whales are not resentful

and that they want to share their space with us.

They're very intelligent, perhaps even comparable to us,

because they have shown us feelings, forgiveness.

In that one instant,

Pachico's attitude towards whales was changed forever.

I feel that despite their size, they have a heart to receive us,

a heart that's even bigger than they are.

Today, people from around the world come here to meet the 'friendlies'.

That is a rainblow! SHE LAUGHS

CHEERING

Marine biologist Toni Frohoff has been studying the interactions

between humans and whales here for 15 years.

Nowhere else in the world really do you see this type of thing,

it's completely unique in where the whales come right up to you,

and they're doing it on their terms.

They're living their lives here, nursing their young, giving birth,

mating, but they still come up and they interact with boats like this,

and there must be something that they're gaining

emotionally, psychologically, from this type of interaction with people,

and in the process, they are bringing out some of the best in people.

The whale just came right up and there was nothing else to do but give him a kiss!

I managed to kiss the baby about three times,

and I thought life couldn't get better than that,

until the mum came up right between my arms...and I got to hug her.

Some of the older grey whales who would remember the days of whaling are still here today...

..so what has brought about this astonishing change in their behaviour towards us?

Not only have these ocean giants lost their fear of us,

but they appear to be seeking us out and actively enjoying

our company too.

Emotional awareness

is generally regarded as one of the highest forms of intelligence.

But awareness of emotions in another species is even more impressive.

That's amazing, amazing!

The latest research on whales' and dolphins' brains

has revealed something quite unexpected.

Like us, they have spindle cells. These special brain cells were once

thought to be unique to humans because of their link with language,

self-awareness and compassion.

Yet some whales and dolphins

may have three times as many spindle cells as we do.

What I'm observing defies a lot of what we have been taught, and...

we are now having to teach that there is more, literally, beneath the surface

of these whales than meets the eye.

Through the world's leading scientists, we are learning so much

about the remarkable intelligence of whales and dolphins.

But there is something that science cannot yet explain...

..our extraordinary connection with these magical creatures.

They really invite you in their family. You can get right in there,

you can share their moments, their intimate moments.

You realise just how complicated the societies

that these animals live in.

But you also have to ask yourself, are these animals trying to talk to us?

When you really look into the eye of a dolphin or a whale, you see something behind them,

you see that they're sentient,

they're assessing you, they're aware, they're self-conscious.

Perhaps one day soon, we may learn to communicate

with these mysterious creatures.

And then maybe they will tell us themselves what is really going on

in the minds of the ocean giants.