Which is the cleverest animal

Just because they choose to live in trees rather than houses, it doesn't mean they're stupid! Sumatran orang-utans have been seen using leaves as toilet paper and larger leaves as umbrellas! Life can get a bit boring in the big open ocean. So to keep themselves entertained dolphins often make up activities and games that become more and more challenging for themselves as time goes on.

Chimps are the class swot of the animal kingdom, that's for sure. In , a clever little piggy named Moritz made the headlines by completing a wooden shape puzzle designed for children. Despite the obvious difficulty he has controlling the pieces with his mouth, he succeeds!

Nelly the show pig performs tricks on stage all the time - now, obviously these are rehearsed, but in this particular experiment, it shows how quickly she can learn new tricks and how excellent her cognitive abilities are! Watch the experiment here. After all this pig talk, I think or rather, I know that I need a pet pig in my life.

Now, since I mentioned them earlier in the article, I feel like I need to include one animal here whose inclusion will not surprise their owners one bit! Border collies in particular are the smartest, with Chaser knowing the names of over a thousand objects. Chaser is able to fetch on command in response to the object's name; he even knows the names of each of the Powerpuff Girls. What a dog! So you can see that dogs are definitely up there with the cleverest animals of all, and that they're more than just our fluffy companions!

What could be left? Well, our final animal is one that is often overlooked, but today, how could we?! We all know how ingenious parrots are with their super-cool mimicking skills, but is that all they can do? In short, no! Alex, the African Grey Parrot was subject to a year study which concluded that he was as smart as a five-year old!

Alex was capable of identifying over fifty different objects, five shapes, distinguishing different colours, and could identify quantities up to six. Not only this, but Alex also had a vocabulary of over a hundred words!

This is a particularly important as Alex was the first ever non-human animal to ask a question, which is mind-blowing. Whilst animals like chimpanzees and dolphins can answer questions, none have ever asked a question. It would seem that parrots have the ability to be fully aware of their own existence, a revolutionary discovery.

It is always difficult to compare intelligence, particularly when the animals in question are so very different: living in diverse habitats, climates and eco-systems.

What we can do, though, is appreciate these incredible creatures for what they are, and not underestimate both their intelligence and what they have to offer our planet. Wanting to add something to this story or just let us know your thoughts? Just leave your comments below.

Please be aware that all comments will be moderated: abusive behaviour or self-promotion will not be allowed. Has this blog inspired you to volunteer? If so, why not enquire today? OFTEN employed to pass messages and do a bit of reconnaissance, these birds follow commands and recall territories. Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post:.

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Chemistry Expert. Helmenstine holds a Ph. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter. Updated December 02, Key Takeaways High intelligence exists in both vertebrates and invertebrates. It's difficult to test intelligence in non-human animals. The mirror test is one measure of self-awareness.

Social skills, emotional capacity, problem-solving, and mathematical ability also indicate intelligence. All vertebrates show some degree of intelligence. Vertebrates are mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. High levels of invertebrate intelligence are seen in cephalopods and insect colonies. Featured Video.

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