Smartest Animal in the World

Looking at my Peppers (my pet Tom-cat) one day and his antics to woo the female cat of a neighbor, made me ponder upon the thought which is the smartest animal in the world after humans. Is there really an intelligent animal on earth or just a hitch? I searched the Internet to satisfy my query and came up with more unique stories about smart animals on earth that made me believe that definitely, animals too are witty. Let me share a couple of stories on smart animals on planet.

• Safari-park wardens answer their phones only to hear the heavy breathing of Chippy the chimpanzee, in Scotland. The chimp had managed to press the right buttons to dial pre-programmed numbers on a cell phone he had swiped from a keeper.
• A police officer in Vancouver, Canada, feels a duck tugging at his pants. She yanks repeatedly, then waddles to a sewer drain. Following her, the officer finds her trapped ducklings below the street.

Was it sheer coincidence that the chimp dialed the correct numbers or was it the mother's instinct that prompted the duck to seek help from a police officer? Well, one cannot overlook the fact that animals are smart and have the ability to do simple things that require a thinking process. Humans rank highest in the smartest animals list, due to their ability to use complex language and express out ideas.

How Smart is the Smartest Animal?

Now, scientist are those animal species who just need a question mark after the completion of a sentence to begin with their research for the answer. They have studied animals and found the answer to how smart is the smartest animal on earth. According to their studies, they have divided the smartest animals into three categories, viz. emotions, self-recognition and language.

They found that chimpanzees react to the emotions show on TV and react to it in the correct way. Well, they share about 98% of our genes, so they are bound to display emotions. The researchers carried out a lot of studies and finally concluded that chimpanzees most likely understand the emotions of others and fell strong emotions themselves. Hmmmm, that makes them one of the intelligent animals on the planet.

Self recognition is an art that not many animals are good at. You may have seen a sparrow pecking at his own image in the mirror for hours. But a mirror test developed by Gordon Gallup Jr. in 1970 showed that many animals passed the test of self recognition. The animals who passed the test were chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, bottlenose dolphin, orcas, elephants, European Magpies and you won't believe it, pigs! Dolphins came out to be the first animals other than primates who were able to recognize themselves.

Language is another sign of intelligence. All animals can speak, but the ability to communicate your thoughts is the important factor. Researchers found that Prairie dogs can communicate danger to the other members of their community. Their language includes chirps that stand for 100 different words. They even have adjectives and verbs in their complex language. This proof is enough to understand that there are some bright animals on the planet. Let us now see the animals that made it to the smartest animals list. You can read more on smartest dog breeds.

Top 10 Smartest Animals

Pig
Believe it or not, pigs are smarter than dogs! And dirty little piggy is not only the smartest animals on the planet, but also one of the cleanest animals around. Yes, a pig will refuse to excrete anywhere near the area where he lives and eats when he is given a choice. You can even train a pig just like a dog or cat. They can move a cursor on a video screen with their snouts and even learn to distinguish between the scribbles they knew from those they saw for the first time. You can watch the movie "Babe" to believe that pigs are smart.

Crow
Crows are considered to be the smartest birds of all. They grab the title of smartest animal by topping the avian IQ scale. Crows can count, differentiate between complex shapes and carry out observational learning tasks. The New Caledonian Crow has been found to create knives to cut leaves and stalks of grass. Ravens are like crows, but a bit larger in size and with different vocalizations. Ravens throw clams, nuts, shells on the roads and wait for passing cars to run over them. This helps break the hard shells and the raven can enjoy its delicious treat inside. You can read the old children tale of "Thirsty Crow" to clear your doubts.

Rats
You may find them as the most disgusting rodents on the planet, but they are one of the smart animal. A rat's psychology is similar to humans and therefore they are mostly used for lab experiments. Rats possess a mental ability called the metacognition, seen only in humans and some primates. They can use their keen sense of smell and hearing to detect landmines and bombs. They can even identify human sputum samples containing tuberculosis bacteria. The rat is indeed a smart animal, as it can show signs of excitement, loss, stress and even remorse. You can see the movie "Ratatouille' to know how smart can rats really be.

African Grey Parrot
The African Grey parrot is a native of the West and Central African rainforest. Parrots can mimic human speech, but African Grey parrot can do a step further. They can associate words and their meanings to form sentences. They communicate with their own with songs, calls and even body language. They mimic house sounds, recreate voices and mimic people. You can ask Mr. Yosuke Nakamura of Japan. He was owner of an African Grey parrot, that got lost and wounded. At the veterinary hospital he gave the name, full address and even the phone number of Mr. Nakamura. This helped the authorities trace back his owner without much difficulty. I bet Mr. Nakamura will be a proud pet owner as his parrot is the smartest animal in the world.

Elephants
Elephants are the largest mammals on land. Elephants have always been known for their wisdom and fantastic memories. Elephants tend to draw mental maps of the locations of watering and feeding areas. They can get back to a feeding area they did not visit for many years. There large ears and long trunks helps them listen. They communicate with roars, trumpets, bellows and even transmit sound through ground. Now, that's a long distance trunk call! They are one of the few animals to pass the mirror test and identify themselves as independent individuals. They can even paint, make music and show emotions related to grief and loss. The elephant graveyards are still one of the most talked about legends around the world.

Octopus
Dr. Octopus can stare at you and keep watching over you intently from their aquariums. Surprised? All species of the cephalopod family like octopus and squids have incredible intelligence. The octopus is considered to be the smartest animal in the invertebrate group. They show short-term, long-term memory and have great learning abilities. They can even carry out problem solving. They are the masters of disguise and have great talents for mimicry. They will beat The Great Houdini in the art of escape. They also have very good eyesight, sense of touch and are very, very smart. The Santa Monica Pier Aquarium got a first hand, wet experience of the level of smartness of an octopus. Apparently, an octopus at their zoo managed to turn a valve, that lead to hundreds of gallons of water to overflow the tank! Really, it is one of the smart animals in the world.

Bottlenose Dolphins
The bottlenose dolphin has a large brain and the cerebral cortex and frontal lobe are about 40% bigger than humans. This surely is a good proof that helps the bottlenose dolphin win a place in the top 10 smartest animal list. Bottlenose dolphins have the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, learn form previous experiences, etc. These dolphins also display emotions of remorse for other species. You can ask the people of New Zealand about signs of conscious. Two Pygmy Sperm Whales were beached in New Zealand and a local dolphin named Moko led the pair through the sand bars to safety. Great going Moko!

Pigeons
Who would have ever thought in their wildest dreams that the abundant pigeons also make it up to the smartest animals list. They have great intellectual abilities and can recognize an image after many years. They can identify themselves in the mirror and differentiate between two objects.

Portia Labiata Jumping Spider
The Potia Labiata also known as the White Mustached Portia that is native to Africa, Asia and Australia. Scientists have called these spiders as one of the smartest animals in the world. They have carried out many problem solving experiments in the labs. In the wild, they lure other spiders from their web and eat up their food. And how do these master thieves lure the spiders? Well, they pluck out rhythms at the corner of the web like a trapped insect and when the spider leaves to investigate, they quickly eat up their dinner. Portia can also remember which rhythms work for which spider, and use it to lure it away. They even plot a hunt and will wait for its prey to return, if it misses it. It will strike at the right movement and devour it meal. This planning and plotting and the ability to understand that the prey will return, shows that it is one of the smartest animal on the planet.

Squirrel
A squirrel loves to munch on a 'nut' but is no 'nut'. It has a stubborn nature and flawless memory. They are very clever and will carry out all the possible tricks to get a bite from bird feeders, flower gardens or where ever they find food. They are well adapted to living alongside humans and store food for winter. Scientist have proven they have an advanced level of cunning and intellect.

These were the top 10 smartest animals in the world. You may not find this as the greatest list, but you can't deny that it is appropriate. Animals too have the ability to survive, and I feel if one has the urge to live, he or she automatically enters the list. Humans rank first in the list of smartest animals, but we have somehow also won the title of being the most selfish race. We forget that we share this planet with many beautiful creatures. We overlook the fact, they too require space to live and take over territories that belong to them.

Our selfish endeavors have led to extinction of many beautiful plants and animals, who had a chance to survive. Excessive deforestation, mining, hunting, fishing, etc. have led to the loss of those who were the smartest animal in their category in the animal kingdom. Today, the Indian tiger is at the brink of extinction. Let us all help save tigers from extinction, or we may lose another smart animal in the world to oblivion. I wish to send a message across that animals too are smart and have the right to live. Do not get lost in your own needs, so much so that we lose all the other smartest animals on the planet.