# Animal Intellegence **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 21, 2002, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801 "2002-04-21T12:55:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CaptBilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@CaptBilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBilly)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/1 "2002-04-21T12:55:48Z")
Some cable show listed the top ten smartest animals like this. 10.Squirrles 9. Octipi and Squid 8. Crows and Ravens 7.Dogs 6.Pigs 5.Parrots 4.Elephants 3.Monkeys 2.Dolphins 1.Great Apes Comments? CaptBilly:) ---
**Author:** ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/2 "2002-04-21T14:15:41Z")
Does “Great Apes” include humans? ---
**Author:** ![CaptBilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@CaptBilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBilly)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/3 "2002-04-21T14:35:17Z")
I don’t think so but if probably should. CaptBilly ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/4 "2002-04-21T16:38:44Z")
Of course intelligence within species varies widely. In my opinion the smarter horses have an equal intelligence to dogs. For example, they can problem solve when properly motivated (such figuring out how to open their stalls with their mouth). They quickly aquire knowledge of new stimulus/response combos, and can continue to learn new ones throughout life. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/5 "2002-04-21T16:41:49Z")
Some time ago I read that intelligent adult chimpanzees can equal a four year old human child in terms or intelligence. No cite though. ---
**Author:** ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/6 "2002-04-21T17:13:46Z")
Schnitte, I head that about octopii as well. Octopus is good eatin’ though. ---
**Author:** ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/7 "2002-04-21T17:15:00Z")
uh…“head” should read “heard” up there… ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/8 "2002-04-21T17:23:39Z")
And in my posts it’s of course “terms of intelligence”. The definite curse to mankind: Typos… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/9 "2002-04-21T17:39:18Z")
Either you count humans as animals, in which case we’re in the “Great Apes” category, or you define animal to mean “non-human”, and humans don’t belong on the list anyway. But of course, one must ask how you can define or measure the intelligence of a non-human, anyway. You can make some general judgements (for instance, dogs are smarter than cockroaches), but I don’t think that there’s nearly enough precision in such measurements to make a Top 10 list. And don’t white lab mice blong on that list somewhere? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/10 "2002-04-21T18:18:29Z")
I know several dogs that are smarter than people I’ve worked with. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/11 "2002-04-21T18:19:08Z")
The animal that has performed the best to date on various cognitive tests like pattern recognition, communication, simple counting, etc., is an African Grey Parrot named “Alex”. > **[Home - Alex Foundation](https://alexfoundation.org/)** > > \[vc\_row\]\[vc\_column\]\[vc\_text\_separator title=”Our Mission”\]\[vc\_column\_text\]In 1977, Dr. Irene Pepperberg and Alex, her first Grey Parrot research subject, began seminal research into the cognitive abilities of parrots, providing a new view of nonhuman... From the website: > [@](#): > > Dr. Pepperberg currently works with 3 Congo African Grey Parrots. Alex, the oldest, can count, identify objects, shapes, colors and materials, knows the concepts of same and different, and bosses around lab assistants in order to modify his environment! They have begun work with phonics and there is evidence to suggest that, someday, Alex may be able to read. Having owned an African Grey parrot myself, I can attest to their amazing intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![MercuryPenguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MercuryPenguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MercuryPenguin)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/12 "2002-04-21T20:51:55Z")
It seems a bit early to start ranking other species’ intelligence when we cannot even agree on a definition and measurement system for our own. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Frink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Mr.Frink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Frink)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/13 "2002-04-21T21:10:31Z")
What? Dogs are smarter than cats???!!! I want a recount! ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/14 "2002-04-21T23:40:05Z")
I enjoy science programs and enjoyed a series (I can’t remember the name) with Alan Alda as host. There were several dedicated to animal intelligence and they were amazing. Chimps which could talk using sign language. Parrots which could identify color, shapes, amterials etc. And my favorite was an experiment with octopusses. Their favorite food is crab (you can see right there they’re not stupid). A crab was put in a sealed jar (with a twist-on lid) and put in the tank but the octupus just didn’t know how to get the crab. Then, in view of the octopus, a jar was opened by twisting the lid. When the next crab-in-a-jar was put in the tank the octopus went straight to work twisting the top and after a minute or two had it open. After that it would remember forever and even months later it would open the jar easily. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@Dave\_D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_D)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/15 "2002-04-22T00:28:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Frink \* > \*\*What? Dogs are smarter than cats???!!! > > I want a recount! \*\* Well of course cats scored 0. I mean why should any cat denigrate him or herself by willing taking any test designed by those flesh monkeys:-) I mean come on, they’ve got standard to keep. ---
**Author:** ![akiraplt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@akiraplt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akiraplt)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/16 "2002-04-22T00:53:22Z")
Although human intelligence may be considered of higher capacity than the animals listed above, I ask you this: How many other animal species have contributed so heavily to their own population decline by devastating the habitat upon which they survive? I don’t mean this to be an environmentalist post - but have any other animal species, intelligent or not, created similar conditions for themselves? Maybe humans should be on the bottom of the list, from a longevity & survival-skills standpoint? ---
**Author:** ![MercuryPenguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MercuryPenguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MercuryPenguin)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/17 "2002-04-22T04:04:44Z")
Population _decline_? Last time I checked the human population has been growing exponentially. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/18 "2002-04-22T06:29:02Z")
Don’t animals like deer breed until they are so overpopulated that there isn’t any food left in their area? Isn’t that why hunting allowances get re-evaluated from time to time? Of course, you can say their environment gets smaller because of humans, but it is still a defined environment that they are wasting away. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/19 "2002-04-22T11:42:36Z")
AFAIK the often-quoted environmentalist statement that humans are the only species whose specimens kill each other is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-intellegence/104801/20 "2002-04-22T12:10:40Z")
Humans are the only species with an SDMB. This can’t be good. When I was a little kid, my great aunt took me to the San Diego Zoo and there was a show with two tropical birds; Bobby and Lolita. They talked and sang. Lolita was a cockatoo, and I think Bobby was an African Grey Parrot. They never took their show on the road, but I bought the record. Anyone else ever heard of this pairing? (Pardon the semi-hijack.)