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136 Comments
- inactive, on 05/19/2008, -13/+74Being the intelligent, self aware animal that I am, I'm burying this *****. A ***** slide show with 10 panes, a bunch of ads and a paragraph per pane written for 8th graders.
- funkymoose, on 05/19/2008, -0/+45"I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals."
- Sir Winston Churchill - RevinKoze, on 05/19/2008, -3/+35So long and thanks for all the fish.
- purzzzell, on 05/19/2008, -2/+23buried for taking 10 pages to go through a list of 10 items.
And maybe it's just the Douglas Adams fan in me, but I tend to believe dolphins should be higher than chimps. Or maybe there's not meant to be any order to this list. - lucidguru, on 05/19/2008, -2/+22I think pigs are awesome... I think I'm gonna get one instead of a dog... someday...
- theholotrope, on 05/19/2008, -0/+19I swear, once I saw a turtle wearing glasses. But when I looked back he had taken them off pretty fast. Which was kind of ironic, being a slow turtle and all. But maybe that was part of his genius.
- NeoCortex, on 05/19/2008, -0/+17Shouldn't #1 have been pan-dimensional beings taking the form of mice?
- bapplebo, on 05/19/2008, -0/+15I was expecting wolves. :(
- artofwar420, on 05/19/2008, -0/+15Not trying to bum anyone out, but pigs are delicious. BUT, since finding out about 1 year ago that they're as smart as dogs, well I do my best to avoid eating their moist (when properly prepared) succulent, meat. One day I would like to become a vegetarian, it's just so hard. And also have a piggie pet.
- wecaanation, on 05/19/2008, -5/+20Pigs: The smartest animal we eat? It's certainly the most delicious.
- fr3ddie, on 05/19/2008, -2/+1498% is a pretty big number too.
- starfisch, on 05/19/2008, -9/+20Humans? Intelligent? Buried as inaccurate!
- Tenhundfeld, on 05/19/2008, -2/+13Regarding the 10 pages, why don't you just click on the 'Print This' link? That will open one page with all of the content in a nice, easily readable format.
And the article is on MSNBC, not Nature or New Scientist. What do you expect? It's a fun little filler piece. - XxbladesfirexX, on 05/19/2008, -1/+12Pigs ftw!
- inactive, on 05/19/2008, -1/+12Whales..
- 4d669, on 05/19/2008, -2/+12Just look at that ***** squirrel.
- uptown, on 05/19/2008, -1/+11This didn't make the list?
http://www.georgesteele.com/ - wecaanation, on 05/19/2008, -0/+9I feel the same way. If someone makes me delicious vegetarian meals on a daily basis, I will happily become a vegetarian.
- cococooky, on 05/19/2008, -1/+10I have never seen a crow become roadkill, they always move off to the side when they see vehicle coming. They are also known to drop nuts on the road for cars to crush the shell. Pretty damn good for a bird brain.
- DteK, on 05/19/2008, -1/+9anyone who owns a bird feeder know very well how crafty and persistent squirrel's are.
- inactive, on 05/19/2008, -3/+11self awareness is the biggest thing.
if an animal is proven to be self aware then 'ethically' it's not better than a mentally deficient human. - luckyguy2000, on 05/19/2008, -0/+7if humans are so smart how come they keep going to war, inhalate poisons or die in car crashes?
- inactive, on 05/19/2008, -3/+10Which is more intelligently thought out than most of the essays students are turning in these days.
At least the chimp used some originality whereas the student just did a copy and paste from Wiki. - EvilFerret, on 05/19/2008, -3/+9No ferrets? Inaccurate.
- Mokole, on 05/19/2008, -1/+6The 10 smartest animals
How do humans compare to other intelligent creatures?
Introduction
We humans have the ability to learn, to reason and solve problems. We're self-aware, and we’re also conscious of the presence, thoughts and feelings of others. We make tools and practice the art of deception. We're creative. We think abstractly. We have language and use it to express complex ideas. All of these are arguably signs of intelligence. Scientists may not agree on the best and fullest definition of intelligence – but they generally agree that humans are highly intelligent.
Other members of the animal kingdom exhibit signs of intelligence as well, and some scientists might say the definition of animal vs. human intelligence is merely a matter of degree – a point that was brought home in 2005 when the London Zoo put “***** sapiens” on display in the exhibit pictured here. Click the "Next" arrow above to learn about nine other species that stand out for their smarts.
1. Chimps are almost like us
If we humans possess intelligence, chimpanzees must have some as well: Our genomes are at least 98 percent identical. Chimps make and use tools, hunt in organized groups and engage in acts of violence. Wild troops have distinct behaviors and customs. Field observations and lab experiments show chimps are capable of empathy, altruism and self-awareness. In the experiment pictured here, chimps performed better than humans on a number memory test.
2. Dolphins get creative
This dolphin in Australia uses a sponge to protect her snout when foraging on the seafloor, a tool use behavior that is passed on from mother to daughter. Scientists say that’s just one sign of dolphin smarts. Other signs include distinct whistles and clicks that may serve as dolphin names, perhaps used in a type of language. A famous 1960s experiment found that a pair of dolphins entered a tizzy of creativity once they figured out their novel behaviors were rewarded with fish. Frustrated human test subjects just let out a sigh of relief when they caught on to the idea.
3. Elephants exhibit self-awareness
The sheer size of their brains suggests that elephants must know a thing or two about the ways of the world. They have been seen consoling family members, helping other species in times of need, playing in water and communicating with one another via vibrations sensed in their feet. A crowning achievement, some researchers say, was when this female Asian elephant named Happy recognized herself in the mirror. The complex behavior is shared only with humans, great apes and dolphins.
4. Cephalopods have big brains
Are octopi, squids and cuttlefish smart? That’s a matter of scientific intrigue, but such cephalopods are certainly among the brainiest invertebrates in the sea. The cephalopod brain surrounds the esophagus, but shares with the human brain features of complexity such as folded lobes and distinct regions for processing visual and tactile information. The how-smart debate swirls around deciphering observations that the creatures have a seemingly irrepressible curiosity, a disdain for boredom, an ability to learn and the capacity to use tools. The octopus pictured here exerts precise muscle control to eat.
5. Crows get crafty
Crows are crafty critters: They fashion tools from twigs, feathers and other bits of debris to snare food from hard-to-reach places. A crow named Betty, pictured here, uses a straight wire she bent into a hook to retrieve food from a tube. The birds are born with a tool-making ethic, but they hone their craft by watching their elders, a sign of higher intelligence. Ravens, a type of crow, have even been shown to manipulate the outcomes of their social interactions for added protection and more food.
6. Squirrels can be deceptive
Is the squirrel pictured here plotting deception? Perhaps. Researchers recently reported that the rodents put on elaborate shows of deceptive caching to thwart would-be thieves. The behavior increased in a lab experiment after squirrels observed humans stealing their peanuts. The researchers called the finding a sign that squirrels can interpret intentions of others, though it could just be a case of learned behavior. Other studies have shown the critters make three-dimensional maps to recall where they cache their nuts. And squirrels in California will cover their fur in the scent of rattlesnakes to mask their own scent from predators.
7. Man's best friend
Are dogs intelligent or just really good at basic obedience? They can learn to sit, lie down and fetch, for example, but can they read their owner's intentions? Research suggests they can at least find food in response to non-verbal cues, a type of understanding that scientists think may be akin to the human ability to understand someone else's point of view. The dog in the experiment pictured here accurately discriminated between photos of dogs and photos of landscapes – an indication the dog was able to form the concept of "dog."
8. Cats are adaptable
Like dog owners, some cat owners have trained their pets to sit down, roll over and jump through hoops. Cats learn the tricks by observation and imitation, egged on with positive reinforcement. But training cats is harder than dogs. Does that mean they are less intelligent? Not necessarily. Cat experts say felines are just different. They are solitary animals, motivated by the need to survive. This has allowed them to adapt to a variety of domestic environments for at least 9,500 years – even the hoods of cars.
9. Pigs are wise - and clean
Here's the dirt on pigs: They are perhaps the smartest, cleanest domestic animals known – more so than cats and dogs, according to some experts. But pigs don't have sweat glands, so they roll around in the mud to stay cool. A sign of their cleverness came from experiments in the 1990s. Pigs were trained to move a cursor on a video screen with their snouts and used the cursor to distinguish between scribbles they knew and those they were seeing for the first time. They learned the task as quickly as chimpanzees.
--------------------
Not on the list:
1. Wolves (They have twice the brain capacity of the domesticated dog)
2. Other primates (not just chimps)
3. Whales (ie Killer whales)
4. Rats (for anyone who has had one as a companion, or as a pest)
5. Parrots (a commonly held belief)
Any other suggestions? - barf314, on 05/19/2008, -0/+510 pages AND they insist on telling me I'm perpetually on page 1 / 10? bleh.
- bjs3171, on 05/19/2008, -1/+6i'd be impressed if I came up with that.
- Morac, on 05/19/2008, -0/+5Cats are smarter than you think after all they train people to do tasks for them. *get me my food or I will knock all your stuff on the floor*
I agree that parrots should be on the list, but they already had another bird (ravens) on the list. - Vich, on 05/19/2008, -0/+5I own a bird feeder, but there are no squirrels in Australia.
- skitle007, on 05/19/2008, -1/+6Although animals can display awareness and whatnot, maybe its just us not understanding what intelligence means. Humans seem to always make the observation that if an animal is able to show the characteristics that humans have, then they must have intelligence. I find it interesting that intelligent life must imitate and not show up in new ways for us to deem it worthy. Just seems like there are more left in the evolutionary pot to pull from.
- fagalagolopolis, on 05/19/2008, -0/+5Actually, they did. Check slide 1/10.
- Arkz, on 05/19/2008, -2/+7"Chimps are almost like us"
Yeah sure, ask a chimp to write a 10 page essay and he'll just start throwing his poop at you - Vich, on 05/19/2008, -3/+7Actually, humans didn't make the list
- inactive, on 05/19/2008, -2/+6Asians aren't human.
/s - Katana314, on 05/19/2008, -2/+6522 is a really big number too. What does it mean?
I have no idea. - Thrilltone, on 05/19/2008, -1/+5I hope Dr. Pepperberg kicks their asses for leaving Parrots off that list
http://www.123compute.net/dreaming/knocking/alex.h ... - Vich, on 05/19/2008, -0/+4We called him tortoise, because he taught us (it works better when you say it out loud)
- clarient, on 05/19/2008, -4/+8It's not that hard. One day you say, "I'm not going to eat meat anymore." And then you refrain from eating meat. Simple.
Try it for 30 days. Or hell, try it for two weeks. Or one week. See how easy it is. Just don't fill your diet up with cheese as a replacement. - Wonderama, on 05/19/2008, -0/+4Did they survey Digg users?
- KingGorilla, on 05/19/2008, -0/+4I give it 2 hours before I start gnawing on my succulent tender arm
- inactive, on 05/19/2008, -1/+4They actually tested the average intelligence of dog breeds.
And the winner is: border collie.
Second is the poodle and third is the german shepherd.
http://petrix.com/dogint/
But I do agree with you, Shepherds have human expressions. I have Malinois dogs which are pretty closely related to the Shepherd and you always know what they want and what they're thinking, it just shows. - atrus123, on 05/19/2008, -1/+4African Grey parrots should be on this list. They aren't. Therefore buried as inaccurate.
Take a look at the research by Irene Pepperberg for proof. - Morac, on 05/19/2008, -0/+3I didn't know hyperactivity was a trait of intelligence. :)
- maelnum, on 05/19/2008, -0/+3NSFW?
- inactive, on 05/19/2008, -1/+4You lose. Pig FTW.
Plus, it's always a good idea to carry a piece of raw bacon in your pocket.
When Muslims walk by you slap them with it and scream "UNCLEAN!" - fefu, on 05/19/2008, -1/+4On average, German Shepherds are pretty smart. I knew a dumb one, though. He was always trying to get out and run away. Even when he could barely walk, he'd get out and slowly shuffle down the yard. All you had to do then is just walk up to him and guide him back into the house. He was very well treated, so he wasn't trying to get away from something, he just didn't seem to be very bright. I don't think he was 100% German Shepherd, though.
I had a Chow Chow that was very loyal and sweet but very dumb! I checked the list, and chow was listed as 76/79. Yep, that's about right! We heard about a test you could do to see if your dog is intelligent. Throw a blanket over your dog and count the seconds it takes for her to get the blanket off. Poodles, which are very smart, pop the thing off in a second or two. We tried it with our Chow, and she just stood there with the blanket on her head like "Oh my god, the world went away!" - DteK, on 05/19/2008, -0/+3I learn something new everyday on digg
- mywhitenoise, on 05/19/2008, -1/+4It wasn't funny in the movie, and it isn't funny when you say it.
- chanop, on 05/19/2008, -0/+3I own an Australian feeder, but there are no birds in Jurassic Park
- Mokole, on 05/19/2008, -1/+4That is very correct. The domestic dog is very smart but wolves are smarter. With twice the brain capacity, they can easily cover all that was discussed in this list above. Unfortunately this article was very superficial (although welcome none the less).
Wolves in the wild use strategy and cooperation to bringing down prey many times their size. The wolves at WolfPark know how to unlatch and open gates to their enclosure. I know people with wolfdog hybrids that can do the same for any door to the house (including the refrigerator) just to name a few examples off the top of my head.
It's disappointing to see the Wolf be overlooked so often when it comes to studies or articles like this. -
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