In the mind of a whale
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Submitted by The Whale Museum
On July 25, Dr. Lori Marino, founder and president of The Whale Sanctuary Project, will discuss “Orca Brains and Intelligence: The Evolutionary Story.” This lecture will be held at The Whale Museum at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, July 25, as part of The Whale Museum’s “Summer Lecture Series.”
In her talk, Marino will explore the surprising and fascinating story of how orcas evolved their large complex brains over tens of millions of years, and some of what we know those brains are doing, some remain a mystery. Come learn how dolphin and whale brains became the most elaborated mammal brains in the ocean, and maybe the planet, and what some of the features of the modern orca brain tell us about their intelligence, their emotional lives and their experience. Marino is a marine mammal neuroscientist who was on the faculty of Emory University for 20 years. Marino is founder and president of The Whale Sanctuary Project and also executive director of The Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy. Marino has published over 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers, book chapters and magazine articles on brain evolution, intelligence and self-awareness in other animals; human-nonhuman animal relationships; and captivity issues. Marino appears in several films and television programs, including the 2013 documentary “Blackfish” and “Long Gone Wild,” the 2019 documentary on the plight of captive orcas around the world.
The “Summer Lecture Series” is dedicated to providing our local community and visiting public with knowledge and wonder of the natural world. The lectures are given by local or visiting experts in their field and they share their recent research projects, stories and experiences. Each lecture is free and held at The Whale Museum. Donations are greatly appreciated. For more information, call 360-378-4710, ext.30. The Whale Museum is located in Friday Harbor at 62 First St. N. Founded in 1976, The Whale Museum’s mission is to promote stewardship of whales through education and research. The Whale Museum can be found online at www.whalemuseum.org.
