Dr. Marino is a neuroscientist and expert in animal behavior and intelligence, formerly on the faculty of Emory University. She is internationally known for her work on the evolution of the brain and intelligence in dolphins and whales and comparisons to primates. In 2001 she co-authored a ground-breaking study offering the first conclusive evidence for mirror self-recognition in bottlenose dolphins (Reiss and Marino, 2001), after which she decided against further research with captive animals.

She has published over 100 empirical and review papers on dolphin and primate brain evolution and behavior, and human-nonhuman animal relationships, including the psychological and philosophical bases of animal exploitation and, more specifically, critiques of dolphin assisted therapy and other captivity issues. Website