It is difficult to determine this, as it is not possible to compare different species of animals in relation to a single type of intelligence. “Each animal has the capacity to learn what it needs to solve its survival and reproduction problems”, says ethologist (specialist in animal behavior) César Ades, from the University of São Paulo (USP). It is also not right to say that the ability to learn is associated exclusively with brain size. If that were the case, whales would be the smartest animals on the planet, which is not true. Even with these comparison difficulties, it is possible to list at least some animals that stand out if we take human intelligence as a reference. A good example is the bonobos, a species of chimpanzee found in the Congo, which have a highly developed learning capacity. “They are able to form concepts, acquire abstract symbols for communication and solve problems.
They also use instruments intelligently and have traditions within the group that pass from one individual to another, constituting a kind of culture”, says César. Certain marine mammals, such as dolphins, also have surprising intelligence. The same goes for elephants, whose herds are led by the oldest female, who is able to recognize each member of the group and is responsible for guiding her followers in times of difficulty. Among domestic animals, the list of the most intelligent could not fail to include dogs. In the book The Intelligence of Dogs, the American psychologist Stanley Coren made a ranking of man’s best friends, based on the ease of learning things. The winning breed was the border collie, from the British Isles and specialized in sheep herding. Second place went to a more well-known breed, the friendly poodle.
dogs
They are capable of guiding blind people, controlling herds, responding to various commands and perfectly performing juggling acts in the circus, as is the case with poodles. For experts, these behaviors are born of high learning capacity based on the process of trial and error.
chimpanzees
These primates (Pan troglodytes) use tools, such as stones and twigs, to break coconuts, and sticks to capture ants. In addition, they use strategies together when hunting and socially they present a complex network of relationships.
Dolphins
Scientists have recently discovered that dolphins have a capacity that until recently was believed to be exclusive to men: recognizing their image in a mirror. The experience was carried out in an aquarium in New York with the pair of dolphins Presley and Tab, of the species Tursiops truncatus
elephants
Researchers already know that elephants are able to emit more than 75 types of sounds on different occasions. The herd is led by the oldest female, who decides the group’s fate. In case the region where they live suffers from a lack of water, it is it who determines which path to follow
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