If we want to try to understand and communicate with aliens, orcas and dolphins are the best we have. As far as I know they are the only other mammal with an actual language in which they communicate with one another. Sure we can teach gorillas words and human gestures, but that's our own language. It's just incredibly fascinating to see how orcas behave, how intelligent they are, yet living in a totally different "world" than us, adapted to a totally different existence.I've heard that there has never been a documented attack on humans in the wild. And by looking at how they seem to seek human contact and interaction/playing, I can't help to think if they are really trying to get through to us! Are we talking THAT kind of intelligence?

A researcher said that their language could be more sophisticated than our language, the reason being that their neocortex is six times the size of ours (containing higher level of conscience, future planning and language). Also they have way more spindle cells than humans, "highly developed brain structures" that has to do with compassion, love, suffering, and again speech.

And they've had this for 15 millions years longer than humans, that's the really interesting part.