This chapter examines animal social behaviour in the wild in the case of bottlenose dolphins. It aims to contribute to better understanding of how the cognitive abilities demonstrated in captive bottlenose dolphins function in the wild, and of how the Machiavellian intelligence hypothesis may apply to cetaceans. It compares the selective pressures imposed by social complexity in marine as opposed to terrestrial environments, and draws attention to the very different adaptations found in different cetacean species.
