The 15 most intelligent animals in the world

In an era in which comparative psychology is advancing more and more rapidly, it is easy to identify the most intelligent animals in the world. The idea that human beings are superior to the rest of the species in cognitive abilities is already very outdated.

Intelligence, understood as the ability to adapt to the environment, is within the reach of any living being, since we all – even plants – seek to survive. And to survive it is necessary to outwit predators, create shelter, make tools, hunt and many other things that other species do spectacularly.

In this article you have a list of the animals considered the most intelligent. If you want to know them more in depth, keep reading.

The most intelligent animals in the world

Intelligence has been tried to be measured as an agglomeration of factors that interact with each other, such as problem solving, theory of mind, social interactions and much more.

The animals below far surpass many of the tests of ingenuity that have been put before them.

1. Chimpanzee

The common chimpanzee It has demonstrated an advanced intelligence very similar to that of human beings – it is not for nothing that we share more than 98% of our DNA with them. They are able to use tools, speak sign language, have theory of mind, culture and even have a working memory much greater than that of a human.

2. Orangutan

Orangutans, known as the thinkers of the jungle, have earned that title thanks to their reflective attitude – they stop and think instead of using trial and error. They are also capable of creating tools, recognizing themselves and talking about the past.

3. Dolphins

Dolphins are living proof that you don’t need hands to be intelligent or to use tools. Dolphin language is so complex that it includes syntax, and They even name themselves and their offspring.

4. Crows

Of all the corvids – already quite intelligent in themselves – the crow (Corvus corax) It is considered the most intelligent bird in the world. Like some primates, it chooses and prepares branches to insert into the holes of the trees and remove insects.

A study revealed that they can plan actions, a capacity that was reserved exclusively for human beings. In it, The crows proved to be able to estimate how hungry they would be up to 17 hours later, storing food flexibly.

5. Elephants

The social organization of elephants is one of the most complex of mammals, with strong family ties and a complicated and sensitive emotionality.

Elephants have shown behaviors typical of funerary rituals, culture and self-medication through different plants, among many other things.

6. Rats

The loss of prejudice against these animals revealed a world of great discoveries about their intelligence. Rats are able to plan and use logic to solve problems, even collaborating.

Other studies show that they are capable of showing remorse, altruism and an extraordinary capacity for orientation.

7. Pigs

The pigs have also ended up demonstrating their abilities. These animals are capable of recognizing emotions in other species, recognizing themselves and even solving mazes.

Pigs are attributed more intelligence than dogs and are beginning to be compared to chimpanzees.

8. Octopus

Octopuses are such peculiar animals that it has been hypothesized that they are extraterrestrials. They learn incredibly quickly and solve problems they have never encountered in record time.

It was recently shown that Octopuses dream of images and experiences of their daily lives.

9. Orcas

These cetaceans compete with dolphins in intelligence, showing a great capacity to innovate in their hunting techniques and modulate the frequency of their calls to communicate with other species. In places where orcas live in large groups, the existence of culture has been demonstrated.

10. Social invertebrates

Insects are often left out of intelligence lists. However, those that live in large colonies, such as ants or termites, have clearly shown that they are not stupid at all: just look at the dancing of the bees or the fungal crops of the ants.

11. Yaco or gray parrot

Of all the psittacines, the gray parrot is the most intelligent. He is able to make associations between words and their meaning when communicating with humans and, in addition, His ability to imitate is amazing.

12. Pigeon

This bird is in close contact with humans, which has presented the opportunity to study its behavior in depth. Pigeons can recognize human facial features as well as their image in a mirror. They can also recognize objects previously presented in a photograph.

13. Raccoon

Raccoons have a great memory which, combined with their great problem-solving abilities, allows them to find solutions to the same puzzle up to 3 years later. They are known for knowing how to open locks.

14. Spiders

Another underrated invertebrate: spiders’ hunting techniques are not limited to creating a web – impressive in itself – but they add other tricks to catch their prey.

For example, portia spiders have had to learn to hunt other spiders, so they imitate the vibrations of an insect trapped in the web to attract them.

15. Sheep

The reputation of sheep for being unintelligent is completely unfounded, since they are capable of recognizing faces, as well as the emotions they show. Their organization in moments of panic has been studied in depth: The efficiency of sheep in communicating danger and fleeing in an organized manner is striking..

This list could go on, and not because there is a lack of animals, but because all species show ingenuity when it comes to surviving. Applying human intelligence to all species is a mistake, since asking a cow to climb a tree will never give a reliable result: it is necessary to know them and adapt the tests that evaluate them.

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