Domesticated animals like your pets at home are smart, but these are not the only smart animals in the world. In fact, there are quite a few animals out in the wild, that can easily hold their own, and many tend to seem smarter than some of the things we as human beings do. Birds, reptiles mammals, primates, and other animals out there, not only have a mind of their own, but also know how to use it in more than one way. This is a list of the top 10 most intelligent animals on earth.
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10. Raccoon
Sure they look cute from afar, but they are quite dangerous up close; the raccoon is also a rather smart creature. The develop mini societies, they develop complex relationships, and they are rather adept at solving things, with their tiny paws. They are fearless, find it easy to get around situations, and they are rather confident when it comes to problem-solving no matter what situation it is that they find themselves in.
9. Rats
Although they are hated by humans, rats are rather smart creatures in their own right. As one of the most hated rodents on the planet, rats are pretty well inclined, and are adapted in many of the same ways we as humans are. Metacognition is an ability that only humans, and a few other primates have; this gives them a stronger sense of intelligence, and the ability to problem-solve in much the same ways that we do, as human beings. Keen sense of smell also helps them get through tough situations.
8. Squirrels
Squirrels are not only smart in the sense that they can figure things out easily, they are also rather cunning, and can easily get themselves out of many situations that they get themselves into. Like chimps adapt in the wild, the squirrel finds a way to adapt to the city-dwelling life that it is given, and they are rather good at problem-solving, and getting out of tough situations that they find themselves in.
7. Pigs
They have been considered smarter than dogs, and just like your dog or cat, you can also train a pig to do tricks. They have complex social lives and complex behavioral patterns, and it has been found that they can adapt in certain situations, better than primates are able to adapt in. Pigs are trained and have a cognitive ability which not many other animals have.
6. African Grey Parrot
Sociable, loving, and intelligent are some of the terms that can be used to describe this animal. They also have the ability to learn hundreds of words we speak as humans, and also can make several sounds they have the ability to learn. Memorized vocabulary, tunes to songs, and other sounds, are just some of the impressive feats that these parrots are capable of doing, when they are given the right training and taught by the right owner.
5. The Crow
They are considered to be the smartest in the avian species; just like parrots, with proper training a crow has the ability to learn how to speak. They have the ability to differentiate between complex shapes, they can learn how to count, and they can learn a number of tasks and tricks as well, with the proper training. They are also creative thinkers, which is one of the ways they adapt in any society, and can get out of tough situations they might find themselves in.
4. Elephants
In comparison to other mammals, the elephant’s brain dwarfs all others, and it comes rather close to the human brain in the ability to think. Altruism is a practice that elephants engage in; this form of sacrifice is one of the most telling, and puts them as close to humans as possible, in the way their minds work. They manipulate tools, create tools, create large groups, relationships, and develop as they age; and, like humans, elephants also bury the dead, as a sign of respect.
3. The Chimp
They can do creative tasks, they can learn, they can perform cognitive tasks, and they have a better memory than nearly any other animal. Communication with humans and the ability to perform sign language are also some of the traits that chimps have. They can use advanced tools, and develop their own tools in the wild, and mental manipulation is something that they have been tied to as well. Chimps share about 98% DNA with humans, giving them many qualities that we as humans perform.
2. Dolphin (Bottlenose)
Advanced language comprehension skills, they are adept to signed gestures, and they have the ability to learn generalized words. Numerical concepts are also understood by dolphins, and they react to certain questions they hear. They can process information that they receive both visually as well as audibly, and they can recognize scenes if they see it on a TV show, or other form of visual presentation. Like dogs, they also learn to point, and understand different tricks that can be taught to them.
1. Orangutan
Over chimps, the orangutan is now considered to be the smartest primate, and possibly the smartest animal in the world as well. Using a hammer, sawing wood, and even nailing structures in to place, are just some of the things that these creatures have been taught, and have successfully done with the proper instruction. Not only this, but their ability to use certain actions in the wild, for protection, as well as to communicate with their fellow primates, is something that is far more complex than what chimps, and other primates have been able to show in the wild. They can build protective structures, and create a safe place for their groups.
Although not all animals are on even playing field, these are some of the smartest animals in the world. Not only for their ability to adapt to their culture, and the world that they live in, but also for their ability to learn new tricks, learn new phrases, and their ability to communicate on a human level, with their own kind, as well as with human beings who train them.