Quantcast

News and Features

Alex, Rico, N’kiki, and More: The Smartest Animals in the World

African Grey parrots, crows, and dolphins are just a few of the world's most intelligent animal species. Find out why.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on February 17 2010

Share this story

Share

If you’re like us, you’ve got a soft spot in your heart for most animals of the furry and feathered varieties. You might even have a pet or two of your own. And while your dog may be able to shake hands, spin in circles, and walk backwards on command, we’re sorry to break it to you, but as far as the world’s brainiest animals go, he’s got some seriously stiff competition. From parrots to primates, here are a few animals that just might beat you in a game of chess.

If you call someone a birdbrain, you’re really giving him a compliment – because our avian friends are about as smart as it gets. Crows are expert problem-solvers: In Japan, they drop nuts onto the road so that passing cars can crack the shells. When the light turns red, they step out onto the crosswalk to retrieve their food – no jaywalking there. Check them out in this fascinating clip.

One of the world’s most brilliant birds was Alex, an African Grey parrot who recently passed away at the age of 30. Over the course of his life, Alex’s trainer, Irene Pepperberg, taught him more than 100 words. Alex could distinguish between colors and shapes, and could even solve simple logic problems. He was no stranger to emotions, either: His last words to Pepperberg were, “You be good, see you tomorrow. I love you.”

Another African Grey, N’kisi, might just be Alex’s intellectual superior, though: This amazing bird has a vocabulary of over 900 words, which he can use in complete sentences. On meeting famous wildlife researcher, Jane Goodall, the parrot inquired, “Got a chimp?” Sounds like a logical question to us. To hear some of N’kisi’s amazing language skills, check out the audio clip available here.

So what about our closest relatives, the amazing apes? Everyone’s heard of Koko, the gorilla who could use sign language – but recent studies show that most primates have a surprising number of human-like abilities. In one study, monkeys who were being rewarded for a task stopped working and became indignant when they saw that their fellow primates were receiving better treats as rewards – evidently, a sense of injustice isn’t unique to the human race. In another study, researchers found that rhesus macaques would “pay” (in fruit juice) for the chance to ogle photographs of sexy females – much like some human males we know.

The rumors are true about dolphins, too – these friendly creatures of the deep can identify and call one another by name using distinct squeaks, according to a recent study. That’s not all: as you can see in this amazing clip, they’ve also developed a unique way to catch fish.

Last but not least, there’s at least one canine in the competition for world’s smartest animal: Rico, a border collie, who can recognize over 200 toys and understands basic grammar. In tests, he was even able to learn new words instantly and retrieve toys he’d never seen before – which shows more brainpower than you’d find in most preschool classrooms. Check him out in this great video.

Sure, we’ve probably missed a few brilliant species (your pets included, of course). But as far as animals go, we think these ones are pretty high up the genius scale. So next time you’re having trouble with your Sudoku puzzle, just head on over to your local zoo – one of the residents there can probably give you a hand.

 

Filed under: Animals and Pets, Features, General Interest, Weird,

Liked this? You'll love these, too:

All-Time Most Popular Stories

Advertisement