Which Animal Is the Smartest?

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Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. </div> <div class="label mt-20 mb-10">Select Citation Style</div> <select class="js-citation-format-select form-select"> <option selected value="mla">MLA</option> <option value="apa">APA</option> <option value="chicago">Chicago Manual of Style</option> </select> <div class="citation font-serif border rounded p-15 mt-20" data-authors="Don Vaughan" data-title="Which Animal Is the Smartest?" data-published-date="5 Jan. 2021" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/story/which-animal-is-the-smartest" > <div class="citation-text"></div> </div> <button class="js-copy-citation-button mt-20 btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="file_copy"></em> <span class="js-citation-status-text">Copy Citation</span> </button> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-share-modal-button js-modal gtm-topic-tool btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" data-modal=".md-share-modal"> <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="share"></em> Share </button> <div class="md-share-modal size-lg d-none qa-share-modal"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10" data-icon="share"></em> Share </div> <div class="label my-20">Share to social media</div> <div class="md-social-toolbar-circle d-flex align-items-start inverted" data-value="share" title="Which Animal Is the Smartest?" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/story/which-animal-is-the-smartest" > <a class="social-icon facebook justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>Facebook</span></a> <a class="social-icon x justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="x" href="https://x.com/britannica" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>X</span></a> </div> <div class="label pt-20 mt-20 mb-5 border-top">URL</div> <a class="font-serif text-truncate d-inline-block" href="https://www.britannica.com/story/which-animal-is-the-smartest">https://www.britannica.com/story/which-animal-is-the-smartest</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing font-12"> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Don-Vaughan/12526275" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Don Vaughan</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Don Vaughan is a freelance writer based in Raleigh, North Carolina.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Don Vaughan</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div></div> </div> <article class="topic-content content mt-20"><figure class="md-assembly md-feature-assembly print-false" data-type="1" data-descid="1"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/01/206301-050-AE5BE1A7/white-goat.jpg" target="_blank" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center " data-href="*"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/01/206301-050-AE5BE1A7/white-goat.jpg?w=600&q=60" alt="White goat with blue sky. Farm animal" data-width="1600" data-height="1202" loading="eager"><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class=""><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><cite class="credit d-block mt-5">© Kadmy/stock.adobe.com</cite></figcaption></figure> <p class="topic-paragraph">Strictly speaking, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Homo-sapiens" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">humans</a> are the smartest animals on Earth—at least according to human standards. We are adept at all the tasks we’ve established as intelligence indicators, and we have used our smarts to do everything from improving our quality of life as a species and building great societies to achieving scientific advancements such as sending people to the Moon.</p><span class="MOD1"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph">But what about the millions of other animal species? How do we rate them? Measuring the intelligence of animals can be difficult because there are so many indicators, including the ability to learn new things, the ability to solve puzzles, the use of tools, and self-awareness. Determining the most intelligent animals can lead to debate—and some surprises.</p><span class="MOD2"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph">Consider the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/octopus-mollusk" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">octopus</a>. At first glance, it might not appear to be very smart, yet studies have found that certain types of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/cephalopod" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">cephalopods</a> possess great curiosity and problem-solving abilities. In one experiment, an octopus figured out how to unscrew a container lid to retrieve the tasty morsel inside. In another, an octopus learned to recognize human individuals, responding positively to a friendly person while ignoring a person who acted impersonally. The recognition of individuals is a sign of intelligence also shared by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/pigeon" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">pigeons</a>.</p><span class="MOD3"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph">One might assume that <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/chimpanzee" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">chimpanzees</a>—one of our closest genetic relatives—would rate highly on our intelligence scale, and they do. In a 2007 study, researchers gave adult chimps, adolescent chimps, and college students the same cognitive test, which involved remembering where nine numbers were located on a touchscreen monitor after seeing the numbers for less than a second. The adult chimpanzees and the college students scored about the same, but the adolescent chimps scored higher, remembering the number positions with far greater accuracy.</p><span class="MOD4"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph"><a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/goat" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Goats</a>, like octopuses, have proved to be adept at problem-solving, especially when food is their reward. In one test, goats had to use their teeth to pull a rope down, activating a lever they then had to lift with their mouths. A total of 9 out of 12 goats were able to figure out the contraption after four tries, and the majority still remembered how to work the device 10 months later.</p><span class="MOD5"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph">Many animals are effective at using tools, including chimpanzees, which commonly use sticks to extract ants and termite larvae. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/crow-bird" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Crows</a> have demonstrated similar abilities, in one test proving smarter than human children. The test involved a cylinder containing water with a reward floating on top. The cylinder was too slender for a crow to reach into with its beak or for a child to insert a hand (children were not allowed to use their thumbs). Children under eight years old had a lot of difficulty figuring out the puzzle, but crows seemed to know instinctively that adding pebbles to the cylinder would gradually raise the water level until they could reach the reward.</p><span class="MOD6"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph"><a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/elephant-mammal" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Elephants</a>, like many other animals, can learn a variety of complicated tasks, but it’s their self-awareness—the ability to recognize themselves in a mirror—that sets them apart on the intelligence scale. (Many other animals, such as dogs and cats, seem to believe their reflection is another animal and react accordingly.) Elephants are also highly social and compassionate, often working together to solve problems within their herd.</p><span class="MOD7"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph">Other animals known for their intelligence include <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/pig-mammal-group" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">pigs</a>, which can solve mazes and learn a symbolic language; <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/rat" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">rats</a>, which can make decisions based on what they do and don’t know; and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/bottlenose-dolphin" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">bottlenose dolphins</a>, which possess the same degree of self-awareness as elephants.</p><span class="MOD8"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph">So, determining which animal is the “smartest” really depends on your criteria. Perhaps a more pressing question is: Are other animals judging <em>our</em> intelligence? And if so, how do we stack up?</p><span class="MOD9"></span> <span class="AM-END-OF-ARTICLE am-inline"></span></article> </div> </div> </div> <aside class="cm-rightrail d-none d-md-block ad-rail"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div class="grid gx-0"> <div class="col"> <div class="md-loading hidden display-4 font-weight-normal"></div> <div class="text-center my-20 mb-100"> <button class="md-infinite-load-next btn btn-blue" data-value="next-page">Load More</button> </div> </div> <div class="col-md-da-320 hidden-xs"> </div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Story","templateName":"WTFACT","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":11,"pageId":8860,"pageLength":null,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-131/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.131.7"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-131/dist/story-page.js?v=3.131.7' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Story","pageSubtype":"WTFACT","articleTemplateType":null,"gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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