Can you answer this question, what is the smartest animal in the world?
Scroll through social media on any given day and you may not be convinced of the human’s superior intelligence..
In truth, however, humans do appear to be the planet’s smartest animals.
There are many other species that have been proven to be highly intelligent, though, and some animals have cognitive abilities that even match and practically surpass our own.
What is intelligence, though? Some markers of intelligence in animals include the
ability to learn new things, a grasp of symbols and language, the ability to imitate others, self-awareness and creative thinking.
From ocean-dwelling invertebrates to gigantic spiders to common squirrels and cows,
this list of the smartest animals on earth may hold some surprises.
We all know that humans are the most intelligent and intelligent animals in the world. Clearly, I am not comparing human brains with that of animals but there are a lot many tasks that these animals can do with more perfection as compared with humans. We have also written about a few nocturnal animals that can only be seen in the night. The simple reason is that their minds are uniquely adapted for these activities. So, here are the 30 most intelligent animals in the world, SMARTEST ANIMALS
1. CHIMPANZEES
Being so closely related to humans, chimpanzees share many of our intellectual abilities. Among other achievements, chimpanzees can learn hundreds of signs in American Sign Language, and they’re capable of playing computer games. Chimpanzees can also use objects as tools and sometimes as toys.
Jane Goodall documentary the famed primatologist, observed chimpanzees using leaves
as sponges to soak up water to drink, as well as using sticks to dig for termites. As noted in a Master Class about chimp intelligence, Goodall also “witnessed chimpanzees playing tug-of-war and throwing gourds in the air and catching them like balls. Chimps’ imaginative use of objects is an indication of their intelligence.”
They are also called by the name of great apes or chimps. Chimpanzee is native to sub-Saharan Africa. The male and the female Chimpanzee are very much different in their appearance. They don’t only look like humans but also have the ability to think like humans up to an extent. They are the most intelligent and smartest animal in the world other than humans. They belong to the ape’s family, the same family from which the humans have evolved. There are many animals in the ape’s family namely chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, and bonobos. Chimps can be very aggressive and there are instances where they have attacked chimps and humans as well.
Chimpanzees have amazing communication power within the group. They can also use many tools in the forest for their community and find food. Humans and chimpanzees have quite similar DNA. If properly trained, they can even learn human’s language and the different words that we speak in our daily life. The different pan-species are now coming into the endangered species because of human activities like poaching and habitat destruction. It also comes under strongest animals in the world.
Also Read: Top 10 Endangered Animals In The World
When A Gorilla
Had Enough Of People Taking Pics – Watch the Funniest Moment At The Zoo
2. Bonobos
The bonobo is closely related to the chimpanzee, so it possesses similar mental capacities and intellectual skills. It is sometimes referred to as a “pygmy chimp,”
though it is a separate species from the chimpanzee. As early as 1920, a Yale University primatologist deemed one captured bonobo an “intellectual genius.” Bonobos have tremendous potential for learning and utilizing language. One captive bonobo named Kanzi, for example, understands the meanings of approximately 3,000 spoken English words. Once, during an outing in a forest near the facility where Kanzi was raised, “Kanzi touched the symbols for ‘marshmallow’ and ‘fire,’” wrote Paul Raffaele for Smithsonian Magazine. “Given matches and marshmallows, Kanzi snapped twigs for a fire, lit them with the matches and toasted the marshmallows on a stick.”
3. ELEPHANT
Elephants are the largest mammal which belongs to the family Elephantidae.
It is one of the loudest animals in the world. They are divided into two parts, the African elephant and the Asian elephant. They also have the largest brain of all the land animals.
I am not saying that if they have a larger brain that doesn’t mean they are the most intelligent one but elephants are also one of the intelligent animals in the world.
They can very easily learn things from their surroundings which is very helpful for their survival. They are also known as human’s best friends because of their social and intelligent behavior. The elephant gestation period is 22 months, highest among the animals in the world. The average weight of a newborn elephant baby is approximately 260 pounds; however, the average weight of the human baby is approximately 7 pounds. The baby can stand up shortly after being born.
You will not believe it, but elephants can mimic many different types of sounds and also, they are very efficient in order to use different tools in the forest for finding food.
They are also known for showing emotions like joy and sorrow. All elephants have several distinctive features, but they are known for their long trunk or proboscis. The proboscis is very helpful for them in breathing, lifting water and grasping objects. The African elephants are known for their larger ears while Asian elephants with smaller ears and convex or level backs. Elephants have unforgetting memory that is one of the most common animal stereotypes in the world.
Elephants have famously excellent memories, but these gentle giants also boast other mental and emotional complexities, which make them some of the most intelligent members of the animal kingdom.
Elephants are capable of recognizing themselves in a mirror, exhibiting a level of self-awareness that is uncommon among non-human animals. Elephants communicate with other members of their herd, and some are even capable of painting works of art.
What’s more, elephants are remarkably emotional and compassionate creatures. They have been observed caring for their injured friends, and they clearly grieve their dead by collectively mourning, and sometimes even by burying them
Also Read: Top 10 Biggest Animals In The World
4. PIGS
One of the most common domestic animals in the world, Pigs are native to the Eurasian and African continents. There are many studies which prove that they are also one of the intelligent, social and intelligent animals in the world. They are also one of the huge populations of animals that are living on the planet with a population of around 1 billion. They also come in the omnivorous family that can eat a large variety of food as humans do. There is a little similarity that is why for many medical purpose’s pigs are used. They also carry many parasites that can be easily transferred to humans. There are many studies that prove that pigs can be as smart as a 3-year-old human baby because they have faced many problems and difficult situations. Pigs can produce sound as loud as 115 decibels and that is 3 decibels higher than the sound of a supersonic airliner.
There will be a lot of unity that you will notice in pigs. They are usually found in groups and eat together, play together and even sleep together. They have 20 different types of sound that they use for communication purposes. They will never forget their home and have the ability to trace their home even from far away. Wild pigs are also very intelligent as they grow plants in the nearby areas of their home and also help in the transportation of seeds. The small baby is very much aware of what the mother is saying in different sounds that show their intelligence since birth. Piglets are one of the cutest baby animals in the world.
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However, The Delite may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer’s website. Many common farm animals are much smarter than we may realize, and pigs are perhaps the most intelligent of all. Many clever pigs can figure out how to undo the latches to their pens and will even undo the latches for their swine brethren. Pigs will come when called, and they can be trained to perform tricks. One scientist even trained pig to play a video game with a joystick modified for the pigs’ snouts, as a way of studying their cognitive abilities. “They not only learned the games but did so as fast as chimpanzees, demonstrating a surprising capacity for abstract representation,” wrote Jonathan Safran Foer in his book “Eating Animals.”
5. DOLPHINS
One of the friendliest animals in the world, Dolphins have the ability to recognize themselves in the mirror which proves that they are one of the most intelligent animals in the world. Bottlenose dolphins are the type of Dolphins that have the largest brains among all animal kingdoms. They are very much helpful to humans in solving different mysteries related to the oceans. They are also very much capable of showing different emotions like happiness, joy, and sorrow. When dolphins are sleeping only one side of the brain sleeps, the other keeps active to defend them from any threats. The killer whale, also known as Orca, is actually a type of dolphin.
They can also learn things very fast if trained properly. They belong to many different families like Delphinidae, Platanistidae, Iniidae, and Pontoporiidae depending on whether they are oceanic dolphins, Indian river dolphins, new world river dolphins and brackish dolphins. It is also listed among the most amazing animals in the world. They are fond of eating fish and squid but many of them also like killer whales and seals.
You will also like reading about beautiful fishes in the world. Much is known about the vast intelligence of the dolphin. These seafaring mammals are known to be sociable, curious, empathic and cooperative. They can even learn to call each other by name — a unique whistle, actually. With their friendly demeanor and easy trainability, dolphins’ popularity as characters in film and television should come as no surprise.
What may be surprising are the studies in which young dolphins showed signs of self-awareness at the age of 7 months, which is sooner than even chimpanzees and human beings. These developments have led some researchers to wonder, “Are these cetaceans actually … people?” Some ethicists and scientists now argue that our emotional and intellectual similarities should lead dolphins to be regarded as “non-human persons.”
Also Read: Top 10 Favorite Animals of the World
Dolphins versus Porpoise – Bing images
6. WHALE
The Whales come under eight families namely Balaenopteridae, Balaenidae, Cetotheriidae, Eschrichtiidae, Monodontidae, Physeteridae, and Kogiidae. They are known to humans as the heaviest animal that can interact very well in groups but uses very complex sounds in order to communicate with each other. The social behavior of the groups and communication techniques used make them one of the intelligent animals in the world. One type of whale named Sperm whales has the largest brains than any other living thing in the world. There is also one type of whale named beluga whales that are very efficient and can mimic human speech. Whales can be seen all across the oceans, however, their specific range varies by species.
The sperm whale is the largest toothed predator on Earth. They also are known as the creatures of the open ocean because they feed, live to give birth and raise their young in the sea. Oceans have many aquatic animals especially fishes that have mind-blowing superpowers which help them to protect themselves from predators.
However, there are many deep-sea creatures that can be terrifying too.
You can also read: Animals That Could Disappear Forever
7. PARROTS
They are also called psittacine. Parrots are native to tropical and subtropical regions. They are roughly species of Parrots and most of them found in South America and Australasia. I think most of you have seen Parrots taking and repeating the words. This clearly proves that they are also one of the most intelligent and intelligent animals in the world. They are fond of eating seeds, nuts, fruit, buds, and other plant material.
They are also very much capable of solving complex problems that exist within their social network. The population of the Parrots is decreasing very rapidly because of hunting, deforestation and habitat loss. All types of parrot species have two things in common: a curved beak, and zygodactyl feet. They are also known for their curved bill and strong legs. There are some species who also love to eat animals and carrion. Let us also tell you about strange looking birds in the world.
8. African Grey Parrots
Many parrots are smart enough to learn and, well, parrot back words, but the African Grey parrot is perhaps the savviest parrot of all. Not only are African grey parrots capable of learning a multitude of words, they’ve exhibited an understanding of more complex thought, as well, such as the concept of “zero,” “same,” and “different.” Some Harvard researchers have discovered that their African Grey parrot, Griffin, can identify shapes and colors, indicating that birds might be able to process visual information in a way that is similar to humans.
“There’s a lot going on in those little walnut brains of theirs,” Kevin McGowan, the crow expert, told National Geographic about African grey parrots. “And they live so long that they can amass a lot of intelligence and a lot of memories.”
9. DOG
Dogs are known as humans best friends in the animal kingdom. They are very social and are also capable of showing different emotions like happiness, joy, and sorrow. According to the research, the average dog is as intelligent as a 2 years old human baby. They have many abilities like the sense of smell and faster learning ability. They have the best understanding of the human world in the whole animal kingdom. Dogs are very helpful to humans in assisting police and assisting the military.
Dogs can learn more than 1000 words. The smelling power of dogs is so strong that they can differentiate between the million types of scents. If trained properly, they can respond very well to their owners. You will also enjoy reading about the most beautiful dog breeds in the world. Turns out man’s best friend might also be one of man’s smarter friends. Dogs have been found to be as intelligent as a 2-year-old human child, with one study revealing that the average dog can learn 165 words, including gestures and signals, and highly intelligent dogs can learn as many as 250 words.
In addition to language skills, dogs exhibit a tremendous amount of emotional intelligence as well. They are able to empathize with their humans, and they’re capable of bonding with people in deep and complex ways that are similar to human familial relationships. So, dog owners who refer to their dogs as their “babies” are not really exaggerating all that much!
10. OCTOPUS
Octopus belong to the family invertebrates and in that they are the smartest and intelligent animal. According to the studies, they are well-equipped hunters that use their full mind while finding food. They have many strategies in order to protect themselves from predators. Only one group of Octopus known as blue-ringed octopuses were found deadly to humans. Octopuses have three hearts, two of them work exclusively to move blood beyond the animal’s gills, however, the third keeps circulation flowing for the organs.
There are around 300 species of Octopus known to us as of now. They release a unique black color when they are discovered by others. They have the ability to hide when they are discovered by predators. They also change their body shapes and use a different type of shells.Glass Octopus is one of the transparent animals on planet Earth. These cephalopods may lack a backbone, but they have three hearts, which pump their copper-based blood throughout their body. As early as the third century, octopuses have been said to demonstrate a crafty and determined nature. Today, their exploits are well-documented. Whether it’s escaping captivity, or going above and beyond (their enclosures) to secure a tasty snack, octopuses make good use of the 200 million neurons in their brains.
Given their wily and intrepid nature, it is perhaps for the best that these invertebrates are not capable of conscious thought. Also Read: Top 10 Farm Animals In The World
11. SQUIRRELS
Squirrels are the animals that are known for planting trees and the fact is that they don’t know that they have done so. Actually, Squirrels used to hide their foods but they forget where they have hidden the seed. The seeds will later grow into trees. Now you are thinking they forget very easily about their food so how can they be intelligent but when it comes to searching for the food they are the most intelligent and intelligent animals on the planet. They are known for gathering food with their uniquely adapted mind. They belong to the family Sciuridae. Squirrels are capable of locating food buried beneath a foot of snow.
Anyone who’s observed squirrels in their yard or in a city park knows that squirrels can be quick, clever, and brazenly fearless — especially when gathering food and storing it for future use. Studies have found that squirrels are, indeed, some of the more intelligent animals around, with keen memories and the ability to quickly learn by observing their peers. In one experiment, squirrels even displayed sharp problem-solving skills by attempting various tactics for opening a locked box.They may be annoying to some homeowners, but you can’t deny that these furry animals are bright and persistent.
12. CROW
They are one of the hugely populated bird species in the world. They belong to the family Corvidae. According to the studies, they use many tricks with their mind when they are searching for food and making the nest. They also have the largest brain in the bird species. These two facts are enough to say that they are the most intelligent and intelligent animals in all bird species. They have also identified human faces and very efficiently hide their food from other animals. They are also very much capable of using the stones and pebbles in order to attack predators. Except for Antarctica, Crows can be seen on every continent of this planet. They are very intelligent while finding food in the human world like they drop the nuts in traffic lines to break the husks to get food. We have also listed the most beautiful nocturnal animals in the world.
There’s much more to the crafty crow and spooky raven than just those eerie-looking, glossy black feathers. Crows and ravens have an incredible ability to recognize faces, as Kevin McGowan, Ph.D., an expert on crows at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, well knows. “The crows around here, they know my face,” McGowan told National Geographic. “They know my car, they know my walk, they know me 10 miles away from where they’ve ever encountered me before.
They’re just amazing that way.”
These birds can also hold a grudge. Studies have found that ravens will remember and show a preference for people who have treated them fairly in the past, and they’ll avoid those who have “cheated” them.
13. CATS
Anyone who’s a “cat person” is well aware of the mental agility of these furry friends. Domesticated cats can figure out how to use door handles to open doors and many will learn their names (whether they choose to respond when called, of course, is another matter). Cats have impressively long memories and will likely remember what they learn for the entirety of their lives. Using positive reinforcement and food rewards, many cats can be trained to perform tricks. They can even be trained to use the toilet, though, again, these fickle and independent creatures will only perform a “trick” when they feel like it.
The intelligence of a cat can be defined as its ability to solve problems and adapt to its environment. Now, it has been approximately 4000 years when cats have been domesticated because they were valued for their hunting capabilities, companionship and loving behavior. Domestic cats additionally known as little cats, however, differ from large cats such as lions and tigers because they are naturally active at night and can purr. One of the most popular pets in the UK and in the US, cats have 30 teeth and most of us must be aware of how sharp they are! Also, they have a reflective layer in their eyes known as tapetum lucidum that magnifies incoming light allowing them to see up to 6 times better than humans can in low light.
Both cats and dogs have a ‘third eyelid’ known as the nictitating membrane which is found on the inside corner of the eye which is an extra protective function of the eye. Most cats are left-pawed than right and can retract their front claws. They keep them sharp because they can be used for climbing. One of the smartest animals can run at a speed of up to 30km per hour and the largest known cat breed in Australia is known as the Maine Coon where males can weigh up to 12kgs. It is also said that 75% of cats respond to catnip and this herb stimulates those cats that are genetically programmed to respond.
14. OWL
The smartest animals among the birds can be seen in all continents except Antarctica. Today, we have around 200 species of owls that live in different kind of terrestrial habitats that include deserts, mountain areas, open grasslands and forests, however, they can also be seen near farms and villages. Owls can be divided into two large groups named as a barn and true owls, however, only 19 groups belong to barn owls and 190 species to true owls that differ in size, color and appearance.
The carnivorous animals love to eat rodents, small mammals, fish, birds and insects but they did not chew food because they don’t have teeth. Instead, if the prey is large, they use their beak to tear the prey apart. One of the species known as barn owls is very essential for the farmers because it eliminates rodents in the barns and fields. The bird species have excellent hearing because ears are located on both sides of the head and behind the eyes. The average lifespan of owls in captivity is around 20 years.
15. FALCON
The medium-sized bird species belong to the family of falcons and caracaras. The 37 species of falcon can be found all around the world except in Antarctica. It is believed that the bird species appeared on the planet 8 to 24 million years ago and managed to adapt to life in all circumstances. One of the smartest animals and bird species appear in dark brown color or gray colored with white, yellow and black spots markings on the body. The bird species is most active during the day and loves to hunt rodents, frogs, fish, bats and small birds.
They have keen eyesight that helps them in the detection of potential prey and mostly it collects prey in mid-air from the ground and water with equal ease. The solitary bird can spend its whole life in the same area or sometimes migrate up to 15.000 miles per year on its way from the wintering grounds to the breeding areas. The average lifespan of falcons is 15 years in the wild.
16. HORSES
Horses, being one of the smartest animals in the world, have been domesticated for about 5,000 years in central Asia. It comes in approximately 300 different breeds and 60 million horses in the world today that are used as working animals mostly in the field and transport heavy loads, however today we have only Przewalski’s horse remains as a wild horse species and can be seen in Mongolia, but it is extremely rare. Horses have an excellent sense of hearing thanks to the erect ears that can move in all directions.
Horses are a very intelligent animal with an excellent memory and use its ears, eyes and nostrils to express its mood. The average galloping speed of the horse is 25 to 30 miles per hour and has an average lifespan of 25 years in the wild. The species is also used in therapy of various mental disorders because of its ability to improve the psychological state of people with its calm nature and beauty. Also, horses have the biggest eyes of all the land mammals and can view 360 degrees.
17. RACCOON
The smaller relatives of bears are mostly seen in South and North America, but they can be found in Asia and Europe also. It loves to thrive in wooded areas close to water, however, they can also be seen in urban areas. Today, we have a total of 7 different species of racoons and only the Pygmy racoon is the only endangered species. One of the intelligent and smartest animals can reach 2 to 5 feet in length and weighs between 12-16 pounds but is observed that the Raccoons that live in colder climates are larger and heavier.
Talking about the appearance, they have a grayish fur, black mask around eyes and a long tail covered with black and brown bands. It has a unique tail and hence known as “ringtail”. The animal species is omnivorous and likes to eat insects, eggs, small mammals, fruit, berries, seed, garbage etc. They are not hibernating animals; however, they love to spend the coldest days of winters in their burrows.
If you’ve ever seen a raccoon sift through garbage and then nibble on something in an unnervingly human-like way, you were likely convinced of this furry bandit’s intelligence. Raccoons’ problem-solving skills and cleverness in sourcing food are well-known, and they were frequently used in lab research in the early 20th century because of their curiosity and intelligence. Using raccoons in research fell out of favor, however, because the animals were constantly trying to escape — and often succeeding.
In recent years, researchers have found that the brain of a raccoon contains as many neurons as a dog’s brain, and the ratio of a raccoon’s brain size to the number of neurons it holds is similar to some primate brains, according to PBS Newshour. “The very large number of neurons that we found in the raccoon cortex fits very nicely with the lore about raccoons,” Suzana Herculano-Houzel, who holds a doctorate in neuroscience, told the site. “It matches with how incredibly ingenious these little creatures are and how good at problem-solving they are when it comes to finding food.”
18. ANTS
Ants actually possess very large brains for their size, but individual ants on their own aren’t particularly smart. The intellectual acumen of ants is most impressive in their ability to collaborate and organize in the search for food. Ants will work together to optimize the shortest and easiest path between food and their nest. “The ants collectively form a highly efficient complex network,” wrote researcher Jürgen Kurths, in a 2014 paper on the foraging behavior of ants.
Kurths even claims that foraging ants are more efficient at searching and collecting data than an internet search engine. “I’d go so far as to say that the learning strategy involved in that is more accurate and complex than a Google search,” he told The Independent. “These insects are, without doubt, more efficient than Google in processing information about their surroundings.”
The social insect has more than 12,000 species of ants and there are many that are not discovered yet. The species can be seen on all continents except Antarctica. They love to thrive in tropical forests which are also considered as their homes. Ants have a special contribution to nature where they improve the quality of the soil by eliminating unwanted insects and from the soil. It can reach upto 0.03 to 2 inch in length, however, the size depends on species to species.
Talking about their appearance, they have a large head with strong jaws and narrow waists. Ants have poor eyesight and they usually communicate by the three things namely, sound, touch and chemical signals known as pheromones. They can also be considered as one of the strongest animals in the world because they can carry 50 times greater than their own weight. Depending on the species, Ants can survive from several weeks to years. One of the smartest animal species, Queen ants can survive up to 30 years.
19. SEA LIONS
One of the most adorable species on planet Earth that are mostly seen in the sea. There are approximately seven different species of sea lions and they belong to the group of animals called “pinnipeds.” The male species of sea lions grow pretty bigger in size as compared to female ones. Also, the female took the largest sea lion to mate with and hence bigger is better. One of the smartest creatures in the world can be seen throughout the ocean except the Northern Atlantic Ocean.
Scientists are still not able to find out the reason why they are likely to live in this region. The species has numerous ways to communicate with each other and they are often seen traveling in large groups that can have subgroups. Because of human activities in the ocean, the species is endangered, however, international laws have been made on illegal hunting of sea lions. Similar to elephants, dolphins, whales, and semi-aquatic mammals like seals, sea lions have large brains relative to their size.
However, sea lions are the only animals besides humans that have demonstrated the ability to use basic logic (if A=B and B=C then A=C). One California sea lion named Rio has even solved IQ tests that have stumped many humans. Sea lions are easy to train, as well, which is why they’ve frequently been used in circuses and aquarium shows. The U.S. military has even used sea lions in missions, including training sea lions to help protect Naval ships from terrorists.
20. SQUID
Squid and humans have such similar brain cells that scientists have used parts of squids’ brains to study how our own human brains function. One potential use for these findings is to develop cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s. Squid are also highly social and communicative creatures and they have been seen working together to hunt prey. An Outside magazine article about the giant Humboldt squid deemed the aquatic animal “spookily intelligent,” and revealed that groups of Humboldt squid have been observed “coordinating with one another to herd and attack schools of fish.”
As biology professor William Gilly told the magazine, “They have huge brains for their body size, much larger than most invertebrates. They might be as smart as a dog.”Squid can be called a cephalopod with a thin and soft body with 10 arms. Out of 10 arms, eight arms are shorter and two are tentacles. They vary in size and have two fins on the head.
By this, you can differentiate it from Octopus. The marine species can grow upto 65 feet in length and mostly prey on fish and crustaceans. For its defense purpose, Squid is seen emitting an inky cloud as a defense mechanism. The Colossal Squid is considered as the largest invertebrate in the world and the only predator that giant squid has the sperm whales.
21. ORANGUTAN
One measure of the orangutan’s remarkable intelligence is their ability to understand the concept of the future, and to make plans for it. Researchers have observed orangutans stashing objects for future use, such as piling up stones to use hours later as ammunition. Wild orangutans can even plan out their travel routes in advance and will communicate the itineraries to other orangutans in their group. Orangutans also use objects as tools, like other highly intelligent primates, and they seem to grasp language at a sophisticated level, and they also use facial expressions and body language.
One orangutan named Azy who participated in the Orangutan Language Project at Washington, D.C.’s National Zoo, displayed impressive thoughtfulness in his communication with his human observers. “Not only does Azy communicate his thoughts with abstract keyboard symbols, he also demonstrates a ‘theory of mind’ (understanding another individual’s perspective) and makes logical, thoughtful choices that show a mental flexibility some chimpanzees lack,” wrote science writer Virginia Morell in National Geographic.
One of the largest apes in the world is also popular as one of the smartest animals because of their ability to use different resources of forests, however, there are two types of orangutans, one named by the island of Indonesia known as Sumatran and Borean orangutans. They are mostly seen in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo. The bad news is that both the species are critically endangered because of poaching and loss of habitat. The species is also considered as our closest relative of humans because they have 32 teeth and pregnancy lasts for 9 months just like human’s females.
It can grow up to 3.5-4.5 feet tall and weighs approximately 110-200 pounds. One of the largest arboreal mammals means mammals who love to spend their lives in the trees. It prefers trees to protect themselves from predators such as tigers or leopards that hunt on the ground. The unique feature is that they reproduce slowly and they produce 3 offspring in a lifetime. The average lifespan of the Orangutans is 35 years in the wild and up to 50 years in captivity.
22. PIGEONS
The quintessential city birds, pigeons are not often perceived to be clever or thoughtful. Many humans probably assume that these street birds’ intellect extends to simply locating the nearest errant pizza crust. In reality, pigeons are among the most intelligent birds on the planet and they might even have the ability to comprehend abstract concepts such as time and space, in a way that is similar to humans and non-human primates.
One 2011 study tested the mathematical abilities of pigeons with a visual counting test and determined that these feathered urbanites can learn to count up to three.
“Pigeons are the perfect subjects for visual tasks, because their vision is really good and they’re really easy to train,” psychologist Damian Scarf, told Live Science. “It appears that you can train them on almost any task you can train monkeys on.”
The bird species love to remain close to humans for approximately thousands of years. Currently, there are over 300 different species of pigeons that can be seen across the globe except for the Sahara Desert, Antarctica and Arctic. Because of their intelligence and beauty, they are often prepared as pets, however, there are many smartest species that are endangered because of habitat loss, predation and diseases. The size of the bird grows depending on the species where a large pigeon can reach up to 19 inches in length and weighs approximately 8.8 pounds.
Talking about the appearance, they have a colorful plumage that depends on the diet and habitat; however, the most common plumage is grayish. It has strong muscles that allow him to fly at an altitude of 6000 feet. One of the intelligent and smartest animals can recognize themselves in the mirror and also, they can find the same two people in two different pictures. Also, they can recognize all letters of the English alphabet. The average lifespan of the species is more than 30 years in the wild.
23. Portia Labiata Jumping Spider
Many spiders are quite smart, but the hunting tactics of this gigantic spider are what set it apart as particularly shrewd. This jumping spider will use its superior eyesight against its prey — other spiders, who typically have poor eyesight — by learning and then mimicking the “web signals” of other spider’s prey. Jumping spiders don’t make webs themselves; instead, they trick other spiders into thinking they’ve caught some food and luring them out. Once there, the jumping spider will attack and eat the spiders.
This method of mimicry is remarkably sophisticated, as this research paper on jumping spiders points out: “Being able to make so many different kinds of signals is important, because how Portia’s prey, another spider, interprets web signals may vary considerably depending on the species to which it belongs, its sex, age, previous experience and feeding state.”
24. Cows
The image of a cow standing around, placidly chewing cud disguises an intriguing secret truth: Cows are actually quite smart and possess complex emotional lives. After reading a 2017 essay called “The Psychology of Cows,” writer Marc Bekoff gleaned that “cows display the ability to rapidly learn different tasks, display long-term memory, extrapolate the location of a hidden moving object, discriminate complex stimuli and discriminate humans from one another.” Cows also experience “a wide range of emotions,” he explained, including fear, anxiety and pain — just like humans.
25. Ducks
There’s more than meets the eye with adorable fuzzy little ducklings. Just hours after hatching, baby ducks will imprint upon the first “mother” figure they see, meaning they will determine that another duck (or a human, or dog or other creature) is their mama and will follow them around from then on. It may not seem like much, but this ability to imprint might actually indicate an ability to grasp the abstract concept of “same” vs. “different” — and this capacity for abstract reasoning is often only associated with highly intelligent animals, such as primates.
26. Sheep
Sheep are so docile and cute; you may not think of them as being particularly smart. In truth, however, sheep have been found to have exceptional memories and strong facial recognition abilities. One 2001 study determined that sheep could recognize and remember 50 individual faces (or more) for more than two years.
Another study of sheep intelligence found that sheep can find their way out of a complex maze. “The enticing sight of their fellow sheep friends awaiting them at the finish helped them reach the exit,” wrote BBC Earth. Indeed, sheep are capable of establishing loyal friendships and will look out for one another, intervening during fights to stick up for weaker members of their group.
27. Goats
If all you know about goats is their famed stubbornness, here’s another goat fact for you: They are surprisingly good at solving puzzles. In one study conducted by researchers from Queen Mary University of London and the Institute of Agricultural Science in Switzerland, goats were presented with a puzzle involving activating a lever to produce a snack. The majority of goats in the study successfully figured out this task, and what’s more, the goats were given the challenge again 10 months later — and they solved it even more quickly, which suggests that goats have impressive long-term memories.
28. Rats
Whether they’re reviled as disgusting pests or pampered as household pets, rats tend to elicit strong emotions from people. The clever rodents are also frequently used in scientific studies and medical trials. Rats are curious animals with excellent memories, and they can be easily trained. Hey, have also demonstrated a keen intelligence that could be seen as on par with human intelligence.
In fact, in one 2015 study in which the same tasks were given to rats and humans, rats actually outperformed the human subjects in some cases. “Even though the rat brain is smaller and less complex than the human brain, research has shown that the two are remarkably similar in structure and function,” researcher Ben Vermaercke told the Harvard Business Review.
29. Chickens
Scientists have discovered that chickens are not, in fact, just silly barnyard birds. A chicken’s brain is separated into left and right hemispheres (called lateralization), just like a human’s brain, with each side possessing different specialties. Chris Evans, who studies animal behavior at Macquarie University in Australia, explained to the New York Times those chickens will organize themselves into social groups, can communicate with each other using 24 distinct cries and are adept at solving problems.
” As a trick at conferences I sometimes list these attributes, without mentioning chickens, and people thing I’m talking about monkeys,” Evans said. So, the next time someone calls you bird-brained, take it as a compliment!
30. Bees
Bees demonstrate a kind of intelligence that is unusual in the insect world. Several different studies have found that bees can actually learn to complete tasks in order to achieve a reward, and one study even suggested that bees have the visual processing abilities to discriminate between paintings done by Monet and Picasso. Bees are also capable of communicating by dancing, head-butting and jostling each other. In fact, bees engage in a group decision-making activity from which humans could learn a thing or two.
When the hive becomes so large that it needs to relocate to a new nesting cavity, several hundred bees will scout new locations and then “vote” (by dancing!) to decide which location is best. “The most popular site is chosen when the number of bees visiting it reaches a critical threshold,” explained Science Daily. This suggests a democratic group decision-making system that is rather sophisticated in the animal kingdom.
Smartest to Dumbest Animals and Where Does People Fit – Bing video
25 Of The Smartest Animals On The Planet – Bing images
Can other animals get cancer – Bing video