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Hi! Do you like animals? If so, then you have certainly had the opportunity to see how wise they are and how developed the intellect of some individuals. Have you ever seen animals doing any human activity? Certainly yes! Let’s take a closer look at a few examples. If I asked you to name the smartest species, you’d almost certainly choose at least one of these three: chimpanzees, elephants, and dolphins. While these are undoubtedly intelligent animals, some creatures might not be getting the recognition they deserve.
Cat’s ability to process and apply information works far beyond getting tasty treats. Cats learn by observing and repeating observed behaviors, hence the term ‘copycat’. One particular cat, named Nora, has a surprising talent. Her owner spends days teaching children to play the piano. Nora noticed the level of attention her owner would give to the notes the children were playing and not to Nora. Always looking for the spotlight, Nora applied what she had been observing and perched herself up at the piano. Tapping the keys with her paws, just like the piano students, she was instantly lavished in the attention of her owner and the children. Nora observed and then pinpointed the exact action winning attention and acted it out for herself. She even replicates the way a piano student sits, to the delight of all who watch her. Check out the videos of Nora! She’s a very smart and cute kitty!
What kind of animal do you think can do something better than a human? I guess there are many animals like that. But today, we will talk about those relegated to the category of pests. Of course, this is about rats! Researchers in Africa have been training rats to detect the smell of tuberculosis in saliva samples. Through training exercises, the rats are taught how to sniff different samples. Then alert their trainers which one contains the substance. Rats were chosen for this process because they can detect the different scents needed to identify a sample. They are also highly intelligent and quick to train. Once fully trained, these rats take only 7 minutes to accurately identify tuberculosis. It would take a human scientist a full day of testing.
Often overlooked when thinking about intelligent animals are raccoons. They are renowned for their lock picking skills and can remember the solutions to problems for years. Researchers performed a test, giving raccoons some pebbles and a jug of water with marshmallows. Half of the raccoons figured out that they could add the pebbles to the jug to raise the water level and get the marshmallows. That’s some pretty sophisticated problem solution that would stretch a young human.
The next intelligent animal is Gray Parrot. They are well known for puzzle-solving and reproducing human words. Various tests have shown that, in some cases, parrots actually understand the meaning of the words they speak! An African grey parrot named Alex was trained by a Harvard psychologist to recognize colors, shapes, and more than 100 English words.
You probably never would have thought, but I also need pigs on our list of my pets. They solve mazes, understand and display emotions, and understand symbolic language. Piglets grasp the concept of reflection at a younger age than humans. Six-week-old piglets that see food in a mirror can work out where the food is located. In contrast, it takes human babies several months to understand reflection. Pigs also understand abstract representations and can apply this skill to play video games using a joystick.
Crows are another highly intelligent animal species. They were also used as messengers like pigeons. They are able to use complicated group tactics, like flanking maneuvers, when in combat with other animals. Crows can also learn speech, and they have an impressive memory. There were instances of crows altering migration patterns to avoid dangerous areas. Also, they have even been caught memorizing garbage routes and schedules to more effectively steal a quick bite to eat from the trucks! Crows have the biggest brain of all avian species, and they have shown the ability to recognize human faces. They also are able to use tools despite their obvious lack of hands and arms. In fact, the New Caledonian crow makes a knife to more easily separate leaves and grass. The same species also uses a hook and line to get at hard-to-reach food sources.
Animals are extremely clever and learn a lot from people. Their intelligence is unfathomable and unexplored. It is certainly much more developed than we think. They also have many qualities that remind us of humans. For example, you see a sloth in a zoo and find it looks exactly like your friend! Have you ever had such a situation? Certainly yes. Solve this quiz by answering twenty questions, and find out what is your spirit animal!
