Be amazed by the intellectual capacity of the 11 most intelligent animals

While humans believe themselves to be the pinnacle of intelligence, many animals also demonstrate amazing problem-solving skills, emotional intelligence, and even self-awareness.

We humans often pride ourselves on having superior intelligence compared to animals and think of ourselves as the “ruler” of other creatures on Earth.

However, there are actually animals with cognitive abilities and intellectual capacities that have left researchers in awe. Let's explore the following 11 animals with amazing intelligence.

1. Raccoons can open complex locks

In a curious 1908 study by ethologist HB David, raccoons, a mammal native to North America, were able to pick complex locks in less than 10 tries, even after the locks were rearranged or turned upside down.

Numerous studies conducted from the 60s to the 90s found that raccoons have perfect memories, being able to recall solutions to tasks for up to 3 years.

In addition, raccoons also have superhuman hearing, they can actually hear earthworms moving underground.

2. Crows are good at physics

Not only can crows recognize faces to distinguish between predators and benign species, they also understand basic physics by dropping pebbles into a tall, narrow pitcher of water to make it rise and drink – a real-life version of the famous fable “The Clever Crow.”

In many experiments, crows have been shown to be capable of making complex tools of 3-4 components to serve a specific purpose.

Urban crows also use traffic to their advantage. They place fruit seeds on the road for cars to crack open. They then stand on the sidewalk and wait patiently for the traffic light to change. As soon as the cars stop, they approach the shelled seeds and reap the rewards.

In some American cities, crows can even memorize garbage collection schedules so they can pick up food on days when residents take out the trash.

3. Pigs can distinguish reflections in mirrors.

As one of the most intelligent animals in the world, piglets have surprised researchers when they can distinguish reflections in mirrors within just a few hours.

The researchers placed a mirror in the pigs’ pen and gave them a few hours to get used to the new toy. Then they moved the mirror so that it reflected the feed trough on the other side of the barrier. In just 23 seconds, seven out of eight six-week-old pigs knew they had to go around the fence to get to the feed trough.

4. Octopuses are terrifyingly smart.

Octopuses are one of the most intelligent creatures that live in the ocean.

Research shows that the octopus' brain has lobes, similar to the brains of vertebrates. They have good memory and can even deduce the routes they need to take.

They are veritable jailbreakers of the sea, able to twist open jar lids while trapped inside, squeezing their bulky bodies through tiny gaps to escape their confinement.

Otto, an octopus kept in an aquarium in Germany, has even been known to throw rocks at glass and spray water at overhead lights to short-circuit bright lights that annoy him.

5. Squirrel uses magic tricks

According to a study by Princeton University, gray squirrels have the ability to remember the location of thousands of buried nuts for months. The cunning squirrels will even use magic tricks to fool predators who are looking for their food.

In a 2010 study, squirrels that sensed they were being watched pretended to dig holes to bury their nuts and then covered them with soil. However, they actually hid the nuts under their armpits or in their mouths until they found another hidden food cache.

6. Cheating Dolphins

Dolphins are often considered the second most intelligent animals on Earth, after humans, due to their relatively large brain-to-size ratio, impressive ability to express emotions, and impressive mimicry.

They can use tools in the wild and can learn a series of human-demanded behaviors.

Kelly the dolphin from the Marine Mammal Research Institute in Mississippi even knows how to game the system to get more food.

Trained to pick up trash in the lake in exchange for food, Kelly often picks up trash and tears it up to receive extra rewards.

Not only that, it also learned how to trap seagulls with its food and then bring the seagulls to the trainer to receive more fish.

7. Bees can think and make collective decisions

Experiments and observations show that honeybees are indeed capable of thinking. They have to perform many tasks that require intelligence such as finding good nectar sources and routes, then sharing this information with other bees in the colony.

In the early 20th century, Austrian behavioral biologist Karl von Frisch discovered that honeybees use a kind of "waggle dance" to communicate with each other and pass messages about food sources as well as to collectively vote on nest relocation.

8. Elephants call each other by their first names.

Aside from humans, elephants are the only mammals that call each other by name, suggesting that they are capable of abstract thinking.

A study conducted from 1986 to 2022 found that elephants use distinct vocalizations to name each other, and that elephants respond when called by name.

Elephants are also one of the very few animals that have the ability to recognize their own reflection in a mirror.

These large animals use tools to pick fruit or scratch an itch. They also have a funeral culture, mourning the deaths of their fellows, burying them, covering them with branches and leaves, and visiting them frequently. They also suffer severe psychological trauma when they witness the deaths of their friends.

9. Chimpanzees have better short-term memory than humans.

Chimpanzees surprise researchers with their "superhuman" abilities. (Source: AP)

Chimpanzees share 98% of their genetic makeup with humans. They make and use tools, hunt in organized groups, have their own customs, and are empathetic, altruistic, and self-aware.

In a test of the ability to remember numbers of three 5-year-old chimpanzees and a group of students conducted by Japanese researchers, the chimpanzees demonstrated extraordinary memories, much better than human memories.

In particular, chimpanzee Ayumu beat all the participating students to become the contestant with the fastest memory ability.

10. Parrots are good at logic

African grey parrots are famous for their ability to repeat words and phrases after hearing them only once or twice, but the birds' intelligence is much more impressive than mere imitation.

In a 2019 study, researchers gave an African grey parrot a classic test commonly used to measure logic and reasoning abilities in children.

The parrot was presented with two cups; one cup contained a hidden treat, the other was empty. When asked to choose, the parrot reasoned and correctly chose the cup containing the reward.

When the researchers increased the difficulty of the test with more cups, the parrots continued to choose the correct cup with food. Throughout the tests, the African grey parrots performed better than most 5-year-old children.

11. Dogs understand more than 1,000 words and can recognize bad people.

Science has proven that dogs are not only "man's best friend" because of their loyalty, but they are also extremely intelligent.

According to Professor Stanley Coren, an American animal psychologist and dog expert, an average dog can understand 165 words and count to 5 - equivalent to a 2-2.5 year old child. But in basic arithmetic, they beat a 4 year old child when it comes to finding errors in simple arithmetic calculations.

More direct evidence of canine cognitive abilities came in 2011 when psychologists in South Carolina (USA) noted that after 3 years of intensive training, a Border Collie named Chaser learned the names of more than 1,000 objects.

With special abilities, dogs are trained to perform a variety of tasks, from guiding the visually impaired to detecting medical conditions through scent.

One of the special abilities of dogs is to be able to recognize bad people. They have the ability to sense other people's emotions, and not only recognize facial expressions, dogs can deduce a person's level of trustworthiness.

The list of the world's smartest animals is certainly much longer than the number listed above. Other species with superhuman intelligence include rats, cats, otters, pigeons, and even chickens.

Ranking intelligence across species is relative because each animal has different strengths in skills that are appropriate for its ecological niche. What is considered a sign of intelligence in one species may be irrelevant or unnecessary for another.