Countdown of the World's Smartest Animals
In this world, besides humans, there are countless other living creatures, and among them there are also very intelligent species. How many do you know? Let's take a look together at the ranking of the world's smartest animals!
No. 10: Parrot
Parrots have brightly colored plumage and are often kept as pets. With their beautiful feathers and their talent for learning human speech, they are all the more appreciated and cherished by people, and they have very high intelligence. The smartest parrot in the world was named Alex, who passed away in the United States on September 6, 2007. According to experts' research, Alex displayed the emotional intelligence of a 2-year-old child and the IQ of a 5-year-old child.
No. 9: Pig
People usually think pigs are a lowly and stupid animal, only suitable for being raised to supply humans with food, but the latest research by scientists shows that pigs are not low in intelligence; they are as smart as dogs and can even solve complex problems like chimpanzees. Researchers compared and analyzed pigs with other animals, and the results showed that pigs have decent long-term memory, are good at maze games, and can complete tasks of locating and finding objects. They can understand some simple symbolic language and master complex symbols and signs involving actions and objects.
No. 8: Cat
Cats often observe human behavior and will also imitate it. Their imitation ability often astonishes humans. Cats can turn a doorknob to open a door, and can even use a remote control to turn on the TV, and so on. In short, cats have very high imitation ability. Researchers found that the intelligence of an adult cat is equivalent to the level of a 1-and-a-half-year-old human.
No. 7: Dog
Dogs have always been considered a very smart animal, and this is indeed the case. Some people therefore say that a dog's intelligence is equivalent to that of a human at three or four years old. At the same time, others believe that a dog's cognitive ability and problem-solving ability are comparable to those of a two-year-old child. A 9-year-old Border Collie understands about 250 words, while a normal child can master 700 English words before the age of 3, but dogs do not have the same ability as humans to combine abstract thinking for reasoning.
No. 6: Squirrel
According to a recent report by researchers, squirrels will carefully create deceptive storage places so that potential thieves cannot find their food. During the experiment, after seeing someone steal their peanuts, this deceptive trick of squirrels appeared more often. The researchers said they found evidence proving that squirrels can understand the intentions of their companions, although this is a learned behavior rather than an innate one. Among all squirrels, the squirrels of California may be the smartest; they use the scent of rattlesnakes to mask their own scent and thereby defend themselves.
No. 5: Crow
The smartest bird is the crow. It is estimated that a crow is equivalent to the intelligence of a 5-year-old child. Scientists believe that the intelligence of crows is even higher than that of many mammals, and that crows are not far behind monkeys and chimpanzees in intelligence. These birds can actually solve higher-order puzzles that require reason and inference, and their problem-solving ability is comparable to that of a 7-year-old child.
No. 4: Octopus
Octopuses have thinking abilities beyond those of ordinary animals. In order to avoid being killed by “predators”, besides using the well-known techniques of mimicry and camouflage and sacrificing an “arm” to save themselves, American scientists recently also discovered in the Indian Ocean a “high-intelligence” octopus that uses two legs to “walk” to escape. In addition, some other scientists have also discovered some extraordinary abilities of octopuses, such as being able to escape a maze, understand hints, and remember past experiences.
No. 3: Elephant
The intelligence of elephants ranks third among wild animals, second only to dolphins and gorillas, equivalent to that of a four- or five-year-old child. When Asian elephants see other members of their kind in trouble, they themselves also feel very distressed, and at this time they will reach out to comfort the other——just as humans offer comfort when they see others suffering deeply.
No. 2: Chimpanzee
Chimpanzees know how to make (not merely use) simple tools, breaking off blades of grass or twigs and processing them, then inserting them into termite nests to lure out a tasty meal. Chimpanzees have emotions and will feel sorrow over the death of relatives; other members of the group will console the siblings of the deceased. They have self-awareness and know when looking in a mirror that it is themselves in the mirror. They even have empathy, knowing how to put themselves in the position of other creatures to guess their thoughts, and on that basis engage in selfish or selfless behavior.
No. 1: Dolphin
According to previous research, dolphins are the second-smartest animals in the world after humans. Dolphin brains are larger than we imagine. When their bodies develop to a certain stage, their brain size is second only to that of humans. Dolphins are animals with “culture”, which also means that one dolphin can quickly learn all kinds of the latest behaviors from another dolphin.
The above is the ranking of the world's smartest animals. Do you understand them all now?