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Comparing intelligence levels across species isn't often done, but the general consensus seems to be that apes are slightly "smarter" than dolphins. Meaning they can complete a wider variety of simple intelligence tests. A Yahoo! search on "ape + dolphin + intelligence" resulted in several interesting discoveries. For example, dolphins, chimpanzees, and orangutans are the only animals that can recognize themselves in a mirror. In other words, they have self-awareness. Babies start recognizing themselves at around 18 to 24 months. According to this New York Times
article, apes and dolphins can also learn basic aspects of language and syntax. Apes can use basic tools, and dolphins can also cannily manipulate objects. Then again, some parrots can respond to simple commands. The bottom line is that we're unsure how intelligent these animals are, because we're still unsure as to what constitutes animal intelligence. But we share 99% of our genetic material with apes, and they're generally ranked higher than dolphins, whales,
elephants, and parrots in the smarts department.
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