Evaluating animal intelligence can be tricky, but it doesn’t change the fact that the animal kingdom is filled with species known for their remarkable intelligence. Several animals use their intelligence to navigate risky environments, hunt for food, and survive during the most challenging times. While there are numerous smart animals, here’s our top 12 picks.
Chimpanzees
Chimpanzees are among the most intelligent animals that share common intellect and emotional traits with humans. These curious beings learn largely from observation and imitation.
Surprisingly, chimpanzees can solve numerous problems posed to them by their experimenters and trainers. From using plants as medicine to creating their toys, planning communication with others to confront their predators to learning new tricks quickly- Chimpanzees can do a lot. It has earned them a permanent spot in the list of smartest animals.
Dogs
Besides being adorable, dogs are also wise beings. They learn new tricks through classical conditioning and positive reinforcement. Most may not understand, but dogs are capable of manipulating people.
Some dogs can learn 200+ object names and remember them for an extended period. The most interesting thing about dogs is that they can learn by simply observing humans using their excellent understanding of social cues and human gestures.
Dolphins
Dolphins are fast learners and share several common traits with humans. For example, these creatures are playful and creative and demonstrate complex emotions such as grief, happiness, sadness, etc. Like humans, dolphins plan and cooperate with other dolphins to hunt and protect themselves.
They can also collaborate with others to care for their injured pod mates. What’s fascinating is that dolphins have senses of empathy, attachment, and altruism, which helps them stand out from other animals.
Orangutans
Next on the list are Orangutans for their remarkable cognitive abilities, like logical reasoning, symbolic communication, self-recognition in mirrors, etc.
While most orangutans use tools in the wild, only the ones found in Sumatra consistently make and use new tools for foraging. They’re smart enough to defoliate sticks of appropriate size to pry seeds from hard-shelled fruit, extract honey from tree holes, and more. The Sumatran orangutans can also skilfully treat injuries using medicinal plants.
Octopuses
Octopuses are one of the most fascinating in this list because of their unusual features. Many people know that octopuses have eight arms, but few know that each arm has its own ‘mini-brain’ that facilitates quick task completion and independent functioning. They have also demonstrated intelligence in numerous ways, such as finishing tricky tasks to receive food rewards, solving mazes, and more.
Additionally, octopuses are among the few invertebrates that can use tools.
Crows and Ravens
Crows and ravens may look like ordinary animals, but they are highly intelligent. Crows can quickly recognize human faces and use tools, while ravens can mimic human speech. Studies reveal that ravens exhibit cognitive abilities similar to adult apes.
Evolutionary biologists highlight that crows and ravens are highly adaptable. They are the only species that adapt faster than any other modern or prehistoric bird, making them stand out.
Bees
Bees may be one of the world’s highly intelligent species hiding in plain sight. These tiny creatures can count, solve puzzles, and even use tools.
Despite having a tiny brain, they effortlessly travel miles to forage and find their way home with impressive accuracy. Bees can use the sun as their guiding compass and sense magnetic fields for seamless navigation.
African Grey Parrots
Native to Central and West Africa’s rainforests, African grey parrots are rightly considered the world’s smartest bird. They have impressed researchers with their praiseworthy cognitive abilities.
They can effortlessly mimic human speech and exhibit strong problem-solving skills. These birds are among the few that have an extensive vocabulary, advanced comprehension, remarkable speech clarity and inflection, etc. Their understanding of the concept of zero makes them truly unique and intelligent. They frequently use it to solve problems, showcasing their sophisticated cognition.
Gorillas
Gorillas share 98.3% of their DNAs with humans, making them human’s closest cousins after chimpanzees and bonobos. These animals are the largest of the great apes and 10+ times stronger than humans.
Almost all gorillas are social animals who reproduce similarly to humans. Their most striking features include their cognitive and emotional intelligence. Gorillas have been spotted using tools like sticks to measure the river’s depth, twigs to scoop food, making ladders from bamboo, and more.
Elephants
Elephants are majestic beings that naturally grab attention with their presence. However, these creatures are more than their size. According to researchers, elephants possess impressive cognitive abilities.
Some of the most notable highlights of their intelligence include problem-solving, exceptional memory, empathy, cooperation, etc. These gentle giants also exhibit a fundamental understanding of complex relationships, quickly identifying and remembering others after an extended separation period.
Orca
Ruling the top of every ocean’s food chain, Orcas rightly deserve a place in the list of the most intelligent animals. Experts believe orcas are sentient, matriarchal, and tremendously successful. They’re described as ‘really, really clever,’ and adaptable to changing environments.
The increasing confrontations with humans have pushed them to innovate and learn new tricks to survive, which they did effortlessly.
While there are numerous ways in which they express their intelligence, their ability to deploy learned hunting strategies, complicated social rituals, passing learned behaviors to offspring, etc., stand out.
Cats
While there aren’t enough studies on feline intelligence, scientists believe that cats are uniquely intelligent compared to dogs and other animals. Like humans, cats can learn new information relatively fast.
They can also filter, recall, and apply the learned information to navigate any current situation. Cats possess a human-like ability to understand, respond to, and manipulate their surroundings for survival.
Their memory, ability to sense objects outside their vision, and persistence make them stand out as one of the world’s most intelligent animals.
