| Post/Author/DateTime | Post |
|---|---|
| Riznar08-12-03, 11:57 AM | Okay, I can't stand staring at the Int 2 anymore. What should a dolphin's int be? I'm thinking at least 6. |
| Derren S.08-12-03, 12:14 PM | Dolphins are animals -> Int 2 Simple and consistent. |
| Gez08-12-03, 12:41 PM | Make them Aberration, Magical Beast, or Outsiders. :D The only rule-legit way to have non-humanoid creatures with Int score of 3 or more. (Before the MM errata, they could have been made as Beasts, but they first nerfed Beasts so that this category was Non-Terran-Animals, and then found that stupid and removed them altogether.) |
| R.M.G.C.L.F.08-12-03, 12:47 PM | Make them monsterous humanoids. Really, that's the best way to represent them without breaking the "aminals R 2 dum 2 b sentient" rule. I'd also make gorillas and most other apes humanoids. |
| piwi08-12-03, 12:50 PM | euh we don't really know how inteligernt they are because we don't know if they have a real language or they are just making noise. I think they are very inteligent only their mind is alien so it's hard to comprehend. I would say 6 is good |
| Willie the Duck08-12-03, 01:49 PM | This was debated really well about 3 months ago, I wish a had a linkto the thread. One guy (an actual marine biologist that worked with dolphins)(or a poser who knew enough to fool us all) and myself (a neuroscientist) determined that, while smart, a dolphin is decidedly animalistic in both mindeset and conceptualizations, and thus deserves an animal intelligence score. Of course if you want to play a 1e dolphin (or flipper), make them a magical beast, native outsider, fey, or whatever. just my $0.02. |
| The_Fan08-12-03, 04:01 PM | It's worth noting that in d20 Modern, they have 5 int. |
| The Abominable Darkling08-12-03, 04:07 PM | That ought to make all you dolphin fan-boys happy. ;) |
| Bacon and Eggs08-12-03, 04:13 PM | In honour of the new books. They should have an Int of 2.5. Or you could drill down even further and one tenth the sub categories of animal intelligences. |
| DrakeRunner08-12-03, 04:19 PM | Looks like its time for Super Dungeon Master Rule Override Action! Wachish! Kapow! Shawang! *martial arts* Bam! House rule! Dolphins very intelligent! More intelligent than several friends! Bam! *makes Animal with average intelligence* Kick it up a notch! Wachish! Super Dungeon Master Leap Away While Laughing Wierdly! kekekekekekek! *edit for seriousness* Okay, Dolphins are INCREDIBLY intelligent, way more than 2. And d20 came AFTER reality, and can't accurately reflect it without leaving loophole after loophole. |
| R.M.G.C.L.F.08-12-03, 04:35 PM | Originally posted by Willie the Duck This was debated really well about 3 months ago, I wish a had a linkto the thread. One guy (an actual marine biologist that worked with dolphins)(or a poser who knew enough to fool us all) and myself (a neuroscientist) determined that, while smart, a dolphin is decidedly animalistic in both mindeset and conceptualizations, and thus deserves an animal intelligence score. Of course if you want to play a 1e dolphin (or flipper), make them a magical beast, native outsider, fey, or whatever. just my $0.02. Although it is true that they have an animalistic mindset focused primarily on food, many creatures in D&D have such mindsets and still possess intelligence of 3 or higher. A good example is the dragon turtle which, despite being smarter, wiser, and more charismatic than the average human, care about eating, defending their territory, and little else. |
| Oberon_of_Avalon08-12-03, 04:36 PM | I agree that dolphins do have a high intelligence, since their mental capacity and their ability to learn and remember (which is what Intelligence is defined has) is definitely many times more than say, a dog. Now, whether it's a point or three points of difference, that's up to you. I just use the d20 Modern Int 5 dolphin. I could start a debate about how humans are just as animalistic in their actions and only perceive it differently because of things such as emotion and higher-level thought processes, but I won't. Or maybe I just did. ? |
| Garnet Hardeon08-12-03, 04:52 PM | Odd. 2E set dolphin intelligence at Very (11-12). Hmmm... |
| Sweet Steph08-12-03, 05:35 PM | Originally posted by Derren S. Dolphins are animals -> Int 2 Simple and consistent. Humans are animals too, so by your reasoning, we should all have an Int of 2 as well. It's simple and consistent, but I don't think it works. Originally posted by R.M.G.C.L.F. Make them monsterous humanoids. Really, that's the best way to represent them without breaking the "aminals R 2 dum 2 b sentient" rule. I'd also make gorillas and most other apes humanoids. I agree with making apes monstrous humanoids, but I'm not sure that dolphins should fall into that category. Lacking arms or legs, and possessing special qualities we don't have, they certianly don't seem like any sort of humanoid creature. Perhaps it would be best to call them aberrations. |
| Venaf08-12-03, 05:50 PM | DrakeRunner and I were discussing this earlier... Odd how the thread popped up afterwards. As far as I could see, Abberation was the only rule-legit way to give them an Int greater than 2.... Rather odd that you have to be thrown in with Beholders and Carrion Crawlers to get an animal an intelligence of 10. Hmm.... On another tangent, what about Awakened animals? Since the animal type states that you can't have a greater than 2 Int, does that mean it doesn't work? (Yes, I know, spells override rules, just musing here.) |
| R.M.G.C.L.F.08-12-03, 06:10 PM | Originally posted by Sweet Steph Humans are animals too, so by your reasoning, we should all have an Int of 2 as well. It's simple and consistent, but I don't think it works. I agree with making apes monstrous humanoids, but I'm not sure that dolphins should fall into that category. Lacking arms or legs, and possessing special qualities we don't have, they certianly don't seem like any sort of humanoid creature. Perhaps it would be best to call them aberrations. Actually, I was talking about making apes outright humanoids (they are anatomically very similar to humans and mentally not that distant from say, orcs). I figure if an Ormyrr (MMII) can be a monstrous humanoid a dolphin should have no problem. I also see dolphins as being close enough (albeit by long shot) to merfolk (which are humanoids) in anatomy to be monstrous humanoids. |
| (Psi)SeveredHead08-12-03, 06:25 PM | Chimps are about as Intelligent as a 5-year old child. Dolphins are probably not as intelligent. Give them a 3? |
| Kain Darkwind08-12-03, 06:46 PM | Isn't what we consider intelligence to be a combination of int, wis and cha? So Dolphins aren't smart in a book type of way, but they could have a high wisdom score.... |
| Count Arioch the 28th08-12-03, 08:18 PM | If thye get caught in tuna fisher's nets, they can't be that smart. Int 1. |
| Nephet08-12-03, 08:23 PM | Originally posted by Count Arioch the 28th If thye get caught in tuna fisher's nets, they can't be that smart. Int 1. :rofl: |
| bitnine08-12-03, 08:42 PM | Originally posted by Sweet Steph Humans are animals too, so by your reasoning, we should all have an Int of 2 as well. It's simple and consistent, but I don't think it works. Crap! Humans are animals? Animal Traits: An animal possesses the following traits . -Intelligence score of 1 or 2 (no creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher can be an animal). -Low-light vision. -Alignment: Always neutral. Animals are not governed by a human sense of morality. -Treasure: None. Animals never possess treasure. Time to take away all of the treasure those pesky human animals have - wait. D&D uses different definitions for its terms than casual use... Hmmm.... could this be one of those cases? Naw. Time to give everyone nuetral alignment and erase their equipment. |
| Kojiro James08-12-03, 08:42 PM | Originally posted by Count Arioch the 28th If thye get caught in tuna fisher's nets, they can't be that smart. Int 1. :bow: Superb joke delivery! |
| R.M.G.C.L.F.08-12-03, 09:22 PM | With the net thing, I assume it's more a matter of the power of the nets. Imagine you're swimming along towards some food when a 40ft wide transucent mesh comes trailing towards you at 60 knots in cloudy water making it near invisible. |
| bitnine08-12-03, 09:51 PM | Originally posted by R.M.G.C.L.F. With the net thing, I assume it's more a matter of the power of the nets. Imagine you're swimming along towards some food when a 40ft wide transucent mesh comes trailing towards you at 60 knots in cloudy water making it near invisible. I ain't gonna swim out in fishing waters. That's just stupid! |
| R.M.G.C.L.F.08-12-03, 10:00 PM | Originally posted by bitnine I ain't gonna swim out in fishing waters. That's just stupid! But dolphins don't know which areas are fishing waters because they can't understand english. |
| Kojiro James08-12-03, 10:21 PM | Well if they're so smart, they should learn it. |
| R.M.G.C.L.F.08-12-03, 10:28 PM | Originally posted by Kojiro James Well if they're so smart, they should learn it. Why? Just because your smart doesn't mean you should know english (or french or whatever). And they can still be sentient and only speak 1 language. In D&D terms a creature has intelligence of at least 3 as long as it can speak at least one language. |
| Kojiro James08-12-03, 10:34 PM | Well by learning English, or another language, they can ask people where the net fishing areas are and avoid it. A matter of cultural survival. This is assuming that dolphins are smart enough to learn another language. |
| Venaf08-12-03, 10:46 PM | Okay, here's another question. Is an Awakened dolphin (for this example, assume a 2 Int) no longer considered an Animal, because it has 3 or greater Int? And thus, can change alignments, and all the wonderful things that go with it? ('Nother question, do they get skill points per hit die with that Int boost? Or only if they advance further? Do multiple Awakenings stack? Would you get ACTUAL multiple personalities vying for control? Okay, that's more than one question, sorry.) |
| R.M.G.C.L.F.08-12-03, 10:49 PM | Originally posted by Kojiro James Well by learning English, or another language, they can ask people where the net fishing areas are and avoid it. A matter of cultural survival. This is assuming that dolphins are smart enough to learn another language. I understand that they should, but they probably would have difficulty. They lack the necisary vocal organs to speak words in our language, most of their voice tones are too high pitched for humans to hear, and the would probably not be used to written language (using echolocation to see most things) or speaking out of water (and our language in water would be gurbled and incomprehensable). Furthermore for all we know they could have a completely alien syntax or even school of thought that we could not hope to comprehend, or our communication might be so different from dolphin language and logic that they can't understand it. Semi-relavent humorous article (http://www.theonion.com/onion3630/dolphins_evolve_thumbs.html) |
| Ancient Wyrm08-12-03, 10:51 PM | Drop it, okay? It was just a joke. (I knew as soon as I read it that someone would take it as a personal attack on our lovable saline-swimming brothers.) The Intelligence score was not designed to reflect nonsentient capabilities, and the designers had to make do by putting all nonsentient creatures below the range of even a phenomenally bad Intelligence roll for a sentient character. Dolphins are definitely more intelligent than dogs, in terms of memorizing tricks and such; the denizens of Sea World wow audiences with their impressive mastery of herring-snatching and responding to whistles, while my neighbor's best friend has trouble with sit and stay. I'd probably represent this real-world dolphin capability in-game by allowing dolphins six extra tricks, and halving the time it takes for the Handle Animal check to teach one a trick. And as for language, although dolphin vocalizations are far more complex than the gobble-gobble of a turkey, human communication still is head and shoulders above theirs. Ravens have highly complex vocalizations, too, and nobody is considering them sentient. Although ravens can speak the tongues of men in The Hobbit as well as a campaign I'm running, so if you want to make dolphins verbose as well in the grand fantastic tradition of anthropomorphizing animals, go ahead. D&D is a fantasy game, and anything can happen. EDIT: Oh, and that Onion article was on my mind as well as I wrote this. :D Serious Response to Non-Serious Article: Dolphins, however, would never evolve thumbs as long as they retained their basic lifestyle, because unlike primates, they have no need to grasp something. Any sort of growth of that sort, instead of conferring an evolutionary advantage on its bearer, would be simply lost in the background noise of random genetic variation. |
| R.M.G.C.L.F.08-12-03, 10:51 PM | Originally posted by Venaf Okay, here's another question. Is an Awakened dolphin (for this example, assume a 2 Int) no longer considered an Animal, because it has 3 or greater Int? And thus, can change alignments, and all the wonderful things that go with it? ('Nother question, do they get skill points per hit die with that Int boost? Or only if they advance further? Do multiple Awakenings stack? Would you get ACTUAL multiple personalities vying for control? Okay, that's more than one question, sorry.) (Off the top of my head) I think that awakened animals become magical beasts and can then no longer be a valid target of an awaken spell. |
| R.M.G.C.L.F.08-12-03, 10:55 PM | Drop it, okay? It was just a joke. (I knew as soon as I read it that someone would take it as a personal attack on our lovable saline-swimming brothers.) Sorry. It's hard to tell. As for talking dolphins, if you were to give them a language I'd probably have them speak dolphin and/or aquan, not common. |
| (Psi)SeveredHead08-12-03, 10:57 PM | Dolphins can get out of the nets. Indeed, the "legal" nets have an escape system near the bottom. Fish can't figure it out, but dolphins can. Of course, some of the dolphins aren't so swift and suffer from artificial selection. They also have a low birthrate. |
| Venaf08-12-03, 11:07 PM | Originally posted by R.M.G.C.L.F. (Off the top of my head) I think that awakened animals become magical beasts and can then no longer be a valid target of an awaken spell. Yep, you're right. Looks like I can go kill off the twink thread's enthusiasm about Baleful Polymorphing a character, then continually Awakening him for the +1d3 charisma, +2 HD, and the Intelligence reset. Well, unless someone's done it already. (Edit: Oops, nevermind, they were recasting Baleful Polymorph, so that still works. I wonder about the multiple personalities bit, though.....) |
| Ancient Wyrm08-12-03, 11:08 PM | I doubt there's much large-scale commercial fishing in most D&D campaign settings in any case, so all this about tuna nets is irrelevant. Originally posted by R.M.G.C.L.F. As for talking dolphins, if you were to give them a language I'd probably have them speak dolphin and/or aquan, not common. I'd start 'em off with just Dolphin. I've always imagined Aquan as a gurgly-sounding language; I can't picture a water elemental squeaking and chirping at me. As there are no rules for vocal capabilities, a dolphin of sufficient Intelligence or some skill points to spare could learn Common. And yes, an awakened dolphin (or any other animal) becomes a magical beast, as does a paladin's mount or a mage's familiar. In making a sentient dolphin, I'd definitely put it in the magical beast, as opposed to aberration, category. (Unless they're really outsiders from the Elemental Plane of Water... I feel a plot hook coming on.) |
| Kaviyd08-13-03, 02:14 AM | Originally posted by Riznar Okay, I can't stand staring at the Int 2 anymore. What should a dolphin's int be? I'm thinking at least 6. The real problem isn't the Int 2 figure for a dolphin (as I can easily see assigning them as well as the great apes an Int at the high end of the animal range) but the assignment of an Int of 2 for the comparatively stupid dinosaurs. Based on current paleontoligical knowledge, I would do the following based on when various creature types evolved: Pre-Cambrian: All creatures from this era qualify as vermin and thus should have Int as a non-ability. Paleozoid and Mesozoic: During these eras, animals with Int of 1 evolved. No creature of this era should have an Int of 2+. Cenozoic: In this era (after the extinction of the dinosaurs)animals with Int of 2 become possible. Holocene: Eventually the hominids evolve. Creatures of this evolutionary line may acquire Int of 3+ as soon as they are demonstrably superior to modern great apes. It is hard to avoid the assumption that our ancestors went to great lengths to render any other hominids with intelligence superior to other animals extinct. |
| Caend08-13-03, 08:43 AM | Originally posted by Kain Darkwind Isn't what we consider intelligence to be a combination of int, wis and cha? So Dolphins aren't smart in a book type of way, but they could have a high wisdom score.... It is. I believe memory, which most people think is intelligence, is wisdom, so that starts things off. Dolphins should have a high wisdom and charisma, because they have a strong sense of self, and while not being smart enough to learn extra languages (although that could just be different vocal cords...) they may have an amazing amount of common sense . |
| Gez08-13-03, 08:48 AM | If dolphins would learn languages, they would learn Japanese and Icelandic. |
| Myrdhraal08-13-03, 08:59 AM | hey! havent anyone read Douglas Adams: The Hitchhiker guide to the Galaxy? "Humans considered themselves smarter than the dolphins because they invented things such as the wheel, New York, war, and similar tings, while all the dolphins were doing, was to fool around in the ocean, having fun. On the other hand, the dolphins concidered themselves far more intelligent than the humans - for the exact same reasons." Its a totally hilarious book, and you should all read it. |
| Ancient Wyrm08-13-03, 10:34 AM | Originally posted by Caend It is. I believe memory, which most people think is intelligence, is wisdom, so that starts things off. I'm going to dispute this. If Intelligence isn't memory and learning, what is it? Wisdom is already perception, insight, and to a lesser extent force of will (although I for one am unsure whether Will saves should be Wisdom- or Charisma-based). Originally posted by Caend Dolphins should have a high wisdom and charisma, because they have a strong sense of self, and while not being smart enough to learn extra languages (although that could just be different vocal cords...) they may have an amazing amount of common sense . I agree. Intelligence Skills: Craft, Knowledge, Search, Spellcraft. Wisdom Skills: Listen, Profession, Sense Motive, Spot, Survival. I'm sure I missed some, but I think I've made my point. Dolphins may be survivors with sharp eyes and ears, but they're definitely not master craftsmen or scholars. |
| bitnine08-13-03, 10:47 AM | Originally posted by Ancient Wyrm I'm sure I missed some, but I think I've made my point. Dolphins may be survivors with sharp eyes and ears, but they're definitely not master craftsmen or scholars. Sez you! I think we need to test the distinction by putting dolphins in sweatshops and trivia shows. Then we'll know for sure how well they craft and their academic potential! |
| Graathus08-13-03, 10:50 AM | Originally posted by Count Arioch the 28th If thye get caught in tuna fisher's nets, they can't be that smart. Int 1. And as for the ones that blow their money on instant lotto tickets... |
| (Psi)SeveredHead08-13-03, 12:37 PM | Originally posted by Graathus And as for the ones that blow their money on instant lotto tickets... That's a symptom of Parkinson's treatment, in addition to raw stupidity. Yes, you read that right. One of the drugs that restores dopamine production also causes the person to be unable to balance risk and reward, hence gambling (and maybe criminal actions). Edited to remove references to .... well, you get the idea. |
| Nerfix08-13-03, 01:24 PM | Originally posted by (Psi)SeveredHead Picture the Pope ... Hmmmm? I didn't know that Liches suffer from parkinson! Poorly performed ritual... |
| Willie the Duck08-13-03, 05:11 PM | WHOA! To all Catholics: I'm sure it was an age joke, not attributing the pontiff and vassel of your religions God as a creature with an alignment descriptor of Always Evil. So please, no thread closing flame wars. |
| Chobemaster08-13-03, 06:31 PM | Originally posted by Caend It is. I believe memory, which most people think is intelligence, is wisdom, so that starts things off. Dolphins should have a high wisdom and charisma, because they have a strong sense of self, and while not being smart enough to learn extra languages (although that could just be different vocal cords...) they may have an amazing amount of common sense . 3.5 SRD: INTELLIGENCE (INT) Intelligence determines how well your character learns and reasons. WISDOM (WIS) Wisdom describes a character’s willpower, common sense, perception, and intuition. While Intelligence represents one’s ability to analyze information, Wisdom represents being in tune with and aware of one’s surroundings. Memory seems to be a lot more like capacity to learn than perception/intuition to me, given the above. |
| The Gray08-13-03, 06:49 PM | Originally posted by Willie the Duck WHOA! To all Catholics: I'm sure it was an age joke, not attributing the pontiff and vassel of your religions God as a creature with an alignment descriptor of Always Evil. So please, no thread closing flame wars. How American. DOn't wanna offend anybody, so apologize for something innocent someone else did. And I'm American. And Catholic. Well, kinda. |
| Gez08-13-03, 07:17 PM | Besides, the only two liches I've heard of are Boris Ieltsin and Michael Jackson. |
| Venaf08-13-03, 07:43 PM | Originally posted by The Gray How American. DOn't wanna offend anybody, so apologize for something innocent someone else did. Didn't really look like an apology, just an attempt to stop a potential blaze. Well, to me, at least. Someone said d20 Modern dolphins had 5 Int? Out of curiousity, how do they classify different creatures in Modern? Do they have some equivalent of Types? |
| The Gray08-13-03, 08:45 PM | Originally posted by Venaf Someone said d20 Modern dolphins had 5 Int? Out of curiousity, how do they classify different creatures in Modern? Do they have some equivalent of Types? It's the same system, except (apparently) they didn't want this argument to come up. An argument which I think is kind of silly; if it's an animal, it's 1-2 Int. Pretty straightforward. And the 'humans are animals' argument doesn't hold up, since, in D&D at least, we're humanoids, not animals. Alternitavely, we could have a different system for non-sentient animals; they could have a 1-2 Int, but a seperate listing in parentheses (I think about 45 for dolphins would make their fans happy) could represent the comparative intelligence of a non-sentient being to others. A dolphin would have the highest (something I agree with), then apes, and dinosaurs and turkeys would be on the lowest rung. |
| DrakeRunner08-13-03, 09:17 PM | Well according to the rules, there is no way of having a non-magical highly intelligent animal. They're either humanoid, magical, or alien, according to the rules. That kind of ticks me off. |
| Sweet Steph08-13-03, 09:40 PM | Just houserule the Animal type and delete the line that says "no creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher can be an animal". Problem solved. |
| R.M.G.C.L.F.08-13-03, 09:53 PM | Domestic turkeys are stupid, wild turkeys would be medium level intelligence. Dinosaurs vary, the troodon for example are have fairly advanced synaptic patterns, especially compared to a lumbering alamosaurus. |
| CryptoNova08-13-03, 10:27 PM | MST3k had a great show in which Dolphin intelligence was a big question. During the course of the movie DEVIL FISH, the question arose. They happen to have Sea World on the speeddial and talk to blowie the dolphin. "I know this is a touchy question but are you guys stupid or what?" It ends with Mike telling Blowie to come up into space and say that to his face. He's waiting for Blowie to come out of his evolutionary cul-de-sac. Then a highly advanced Dolphin Warship shows up and threatens to kill them if they dont immediately apologize to Blowie. It was pretty funny. |
| (Psi)SeveredHead08-13-03, 10:37 PM | Originally posted by Willie the Duck WHOA! To all Catholics: I'm sure it was an age joke, not attributing the pontiff and vassel of your religions God as a creature with an alignment descriptor of Always Evil. So please, no thread closing flame wars. Should I delete this then? |
| The Gray08-14-03, 12:23 AM | Originally posted by (Psi)SeveredHead Should I delete this then? If you mean that post, and by 'I' you mean Willie the Duck . . . Yes. |
| Adrez Nesnsid08-18-03, 02:59 PM | Perhaps somebody could come up with a system for the more intelligent animal species somewhat like second edition D&D's "Exceptional Strength" rules (which allowed for strength higher than 18, but still lower than 19, and which I never completely understood because I've never found a complete explanation of it), except instead of allowing Strength scores between 18 and 19, it waold allow Int scores between 2 and 3. |
| Arilou_skiff08-18-03, 04:30 PM | Someone mentioned Ravens... I believe they can actually be taught to "speaK" (as in, mimic words) similarly to parrots. E.A. Poe wasn't AFAIK completely out in the woods. |
| Adrez Nesnsid08-26-03, 04:51 PM | Bump |
| Ancient Wyrm08-26-03, 05:05 PM | Originally posted by Arilou_skiff Someone mentioned Ravens... I believe they can actually be taught to "speaK" (as in, mimic words) similarly to parrots. E.A. Poe wasn't AFAIK completely out in the woods. Yes, they can mimic words and other sounds, although like parrots they display no understanding of said words. Interestingly enough, how well they learn largely depends on the individual raven's disposition; one researcher spent nine unsuccessful years trying to teach a particular bird "Nevermore;" other ravens pick it up in weeks. Funny Raven Mimic Story: One raven that lived close to a construction site could perfectly imitate the words "three... two... one..." followed by an impeccable explosion sound. Scared the pants off the workmen the first time they heard it. |
| (Psi)SeveredHead08-26-03, 07:48 PM | Some parrots understand words like colors and shapes, putting them at the intelligence level of a small child. |
| Adrez Nesnsid08-26-03, 07:52 PM | Originally posted by (Psi)SeveredHead Some parrots understand words like colors and shapes, putting them at the intelligence level of a small child. Are you saying that parrots are very smart, or that small children are as dumb as animals? (I would be prepared to agree with either of these implications) |
| (Psi)SeveredHead08-26-03, 07:57 PM | Both :D but especially the former. Animals have underestimated problem-solving skills. |
| Gez08-27-03, 08:35 AM | Besides, parrots are able to know the purpose of the sentence they're trained to say. This don't means they actually understand the language, just that they know one sentence is used to beg food, while another beg stroking, for example. There was recently an amusing case of a parrot making burglars flee. The house was desert, except for the parrot, so a pair of burglar come in. Hearing presence, the parrot "asks" "Come say hello!" and after receiving no answer from the thief, who recognized the voice as a parrot's, asked again, using this time an angry "Hey, who's there?". This made the robbers flee. Both sentence used were learned by the bird, not articulated by it. Still, this proves enough intelligence to know what sentence to use in what context. By the way, the bird wasn't trained to frighten intruders, it's just that it craves attention, so its master taught him appropriate sentences. |
| Tzor08-27-03, 02:51 PM | Originally posted by Willie the Duck One guy (an actual marine biologist that worked with dolphins)(or a poser who knew enough to fool us all) and myself (a neuroscientist) determined that, while smart, a dolphin is decidedly animalistic in both mindeset and conceptualizations, and thus deserves an animal intelligence score. Many years ago I did a similiar study of College Frat Houses and came to the same conclusion. "The water is warm, the fish taste good, and sharks are stupid. These three things I know, and really what else does a dolphin need to know?" |