Killer whales and dolphins are both marine mammals with very high intelligence, and they play an important role in the ecosystem. However, when discussing which one is smarter, this may involve different definitions of intelligence as well as different research methods.
Social intelligence: Killer whales live in groups and have complex social structures and communication styles. They obtain food by hunting cooperatively and helping each other, and this sociality indicates that they have a high level of intelligence.
Ability to learn: Orcas have shown a strong ability to learn, being able to learn new skills and behaviors. For example, they can imitate the sounds of other killer whales or learn new hunting techniques.
Communicative Abilities: Dolphins have complex communication styles, and they communicate by making a wide variety of sounds and postures, and this diversity indicates their advanced ability in socialization and communication.
Cognitive Abilities: Dolphins also show amazing cognitive abilities, being able to solve problems, have a strong memory, are self-aware, and can participate in a wide variety of games and activities.
Definition of intelligence: There is no universal definition of "intelligence", so researchers use different criteria and measures when assessing intelligence, which can lead to differences in the results of different studies.
Environmental factors: Survival stress and social environment in different environments may affect the learning ability and behavioral performance of these animals.
While killer whales and dolphins both exhibit high levels of intelligence and social ability, their intelligence levels vary in different domains. Killer whales may be better at teamwork and learning specific skills
Dolphins, on the other hand, exhibit more diversity and complexity in terms of communication and exchange. The question of which is more intelligent is given by the diversity of definitions of intelligence and the influence of different animal environments, so there is no one definitive answer that can be applied to all situations.