I would assume dolphins still die from lack of food, disease, and predation. One(human) would assume they might want to build something to reduce those odds?
You're assuming another intelligence values the same things as humans.
> I would assume dolphins still die from lack of food, disease, and predation.
Hell, we can find humans that don't value such things. Take a look at Christian Scientists, they'll forgo treatment of disease out of fear of rejecting the "divine Principle".
Dolphins use tools to hunt and catch prey. They also engage is pretty complex behaviors to eat.
It took humans roughly a hundred thousand years to find a solution to death from a lack of food through agriculture and we have opposable thumbs.
In terms of food and disease, I would argue they're better off 'seafaring' than settling down in dwellings.
In terms of predation, dolphins are close to being apex predators. Some species and populations have no natural enemies, while in some areas dolphins have to worry about a few of the larger species of sharks and type-2 orcas.
It seems that establishing a built residence would be both an asset and a liability when trying to evade predators. By roaming the open ocean, they're essentially playing a game of "battleship" on a very large board. In other words, there's only a problem when predators and the pod happen to bump into each other.
Having walls may help security, but it also ensures that your enemies know where to find you. Land mammals nest to protect babies before they become mobile. Dolphin calves swim almost immediately, and by drafting in formation with their mothers can keep up with the pod.
I'm curious whether it ever makes sense for carnivores to take up agriculture... both in terms of feasibility and considering that hunting is a cooperative outlet for natural carnivorous aggression.
> I would assume dolphins still die from lack of food, disease, and predation.
Hell, we can find humans that don't value such things. Take a look at Christian Scientists, they'll forgo treatment of disease out of fear of rejecting the "divine Principle".
Dolphins use tools to hunt and catch prey. They also engage is pretty complex behaviors to eat.
It took humans roughly a hundred thousand years to find a solution to death from a lack of food through agriculture and we have opposable thumbs.