Humans aren’t the only intelligent creatures on Earth. Research proves that animals are much smarter than most people realize. Many primates and birds are able to use tools, and plenty of mammals show advanced cognitive abilities. Even tiny insects can solve seemingly complex problems by working together.
Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) adults with juvenile. Dolphins have one of the largest brains in the animal kingdom.
Dolphins are well-documented as intelligent animals. They can recognize themselves in a mirror and communicate with each other. Their large brain is structured for awareness and emotion, and dolphin brains are even more structurally complex than those of humans. According to Emory University dolphin expert Lori Marino, dolphins have larger brains than any other animal relative to the size of their bodies. Only humans have brains that are bigger.
Pigs may be the smartest domestic animals in the world. Researchers have found that domestic pigs can use mirrors to find their food and will try to deceive other pigs so that they can “hog” more food. Pigs also learn quickly and can do tricks ranging from jumping through hoops to playing video games with joysticks.
Ravens are more than just the subject of dark themes by writer Edgar Allan Poe. They are also extremely resourceful animals that have been known to multi-task. Researchers from Canada and Scotland have shown that ravens use logic to understand their surroundings in a way that may surpass the ability of the great apes. When presented with food that could only be attained by completing a series of complicated tasks, the ravens figured out how to reach the treats on their own without assistance from the researchers.
Like some other chimps and apes, bonobos are capable of learning human sign languages to express. The bonobo is a close cousin to the common chimpanzee, another famously intelligent animal. Extremely endangered, the bonobo is found only in central Africa. Like other great apes, bonobos can learn how to use sign language and symbols. After researchers taught a bonobo named Kanzi how to communicate with lexigrams on a keyboard, the ape taught himself some basic sign language just by watching videos of Koko the Gorilla. Furthermore, Kanzi can cook his own food and even outperformed a human toddler during a study of cognitive ability when he was only eight years old.