Most Impressive Video of Dolphins with Tores

This most impressive video shows the skill and intelligence of a captive dolphin to create a very subtle game with tores (circular bubble) of air generated with its blow hole and manipulated with its mouth.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1041454/dolphin_play_bubble_rings/

David Rothenberg Plays Music with Belugas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILPzkze3RHw

David Rothenberg does two way underwater communication experiments with Belugas in the wild. One of the most advanced communication research in the world today, at least in the non-military field.

David has written a book on his work, to be published later in 2008: Thousand mile song.

http://www.whsmith.co.uk/CatalogAndSearch/ProductDetails-Thousand+Mile+Song+-9780465071289.html

"Whale song is an astonishing world of sound whose existence no one suspected before the 1960s. Its discovery has forced us to confront the possibility of an alien intelligence not in outer space but right here on earth. This title uses the enigma of whale sounds to open up whales' underwater world of sonic mystery."

Xanadu Halkias, leading researcher

http://www.ee.columbia.edu/~xanadu/research.html

Xanadu Halkias, leading researcher in dolphin communication.

Theory of Mind in Apes

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/monkey-200801.html?c=y&page=1

From The Smithsonian:

Santos' interest here is in what psychologists call "theory of mind," the ability to impute thoughts and intentions to another individual, one of the cornerstones of human cognition. "Sitting here talking with you," Santos explains, "all I can see is your behavior, but I draw inferences about your desires and thoughts. The interesting question is, how far back in evolutionary time does that ability extend? Can it exist without language?" As recently as a decade ago, the conventional wisdom doubted that even chimpanzees, which are more closely related to human beings than are monkeys, possessed theory of mind. This view is changing, in large measure because of the work of Santos and her collaborators. With her students in tow and a small bag of grapes in her pocket, Santos is now out to demonstrate the phenomenon—if a Macaca mulatta can be induced to cooperate.

Beautiful : earthOCEAN.tv

Beautiful and informative new web site:

http://earthOCEAN.tv

PDF on Passive Acoustic Monitoring - 10 Pages

Excellent overview of the domain, from Dr. David K. Mellinger, a world-leading researcher in cetacean acoustics, NOAA, et al.:

ftp://newportftp.pmel.noaa.gov/newport/mellinger/papers/MellingerEtAl07-AcousticCetaceanObservation.pdf

Terri Irwin trying to stop Japanese Whalers

Terri Irwin is working with Oregon State University to do some research on whales that will show that Japan's excuse for killing whales is a scam.

http://mmi.oregonstate.edu/

Dolphin helped by people

This dolphin caught in a rope was rescued and needed to be escorted to sea by Mike Cemm, near Dorset, UK.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/dorset/7200311.stm