10 Awesome Facts about Animal Intelligence

The intelligence of animals is a widely debated issue throughout the world. Although most critics do not seem to accept the true potential of animal intelligence, still the question continues to intrigue researchers. There are a variety of ways that animals show intelligence.  The levels of intelligence seems to be vary among the different classes of animals. This post is dedicated to sharing the 10 facts that have been well-established in relevance to animal intelligence.

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      10. Chimpanzees

It has been reported that chimpanzees happens to be one of the most intelligent animals known to mankind. With proper training and guidance, they can be taught to exhibit extremely complex behaviors. One study reported that these animals can be taught to perform complex behavioral tasks on computers. In addition, there have also been instances in which chimpanzees exhibit complex social behaviors.

  1. Dogs

Dogs have long been considered to be man’s best friend. However, there is a lot more to their intelligence than most of us know. It has been reported that dogs also exhibit associative learning by learning the scents of those whom they love. The same goes for individuals who they don’t like. This form of associative learning was believed to be really basic in many animals, but now scientists have been forced to reconsider their beliefs about the intelligence of dogs.

  1. Song Birds

The memory of singing birds happens to be really strong. One study conducted at Duke University reported that song birds happen to have an astonishing memory. One major finding was that the birds that sing a lesser number of sings have stronger memorizing skills in comparison to other song birds. It was also reported that learning the songs is controlled by highly specialized areas in the brains of these birds.

  1. Reinforcement

This mechanism of learning is not only evident in humans, but also in animals. The same is the strategy that is used to teach different complex behaviors and actions to animals. The idea is to simply reward those behaviors that we want and punish those we don’t want. That’s not all, as the same mechanism is used to teach different skills and tricks to animals in the circus.

  1. Fruit Flies

Although the life span of these small animals is less than 60 days, but still they exhibit complex behaviors. One study reported that these flies take some time in decision making. Moreover, during different tasks, they take varying amounts of time in making a decision about their behavior. This is indeed an exceptional finding for a fly that lives for less than 60 days.

  1. Elephants

Elephants are considered to be born with limited levels of intelligence. However, this is not what the scientists believe about them. Many studies have confirmed that elephants have moderate levels of intelligence. One study reported that there are certain classes of these animals that comfort others during times of distress. This is indeed something that was considered to be specific to humans and some other animals. It is for sure that there is a lot more that we still don’t know about these animals.

  1. Wolves

In comparison to dogs, wolves are able to imitate a wide range of behaviors. In other words, they have better intelligence and learning abilities in comparison to dogs. In addition, there are also some studies that have confirmed that wolves happen to be better at problem solving in comparison to dogs.

  1. Rats

The memory of rats function like that of a computer. In other words, they happen to have randomized short term memories which is indeed a new finding. The rats also have the ability to react to different stimuli in different ways. In addition, they are also quite good in terms of solving different problems. The exact areas of their brain which are responsible for such behaviors are not yet known but still these findings have initiated a new body of research.

  1. Lemurs

These animals have the audacity to steal food and other items from humans. Most of them engage in these acts in a quite productive manner. They also able to look for cues in the environment which help in effective decision making in terms of the best timing for stealing.

  1. Zebra Finches

These class of birds are known to have a superior intelligence than many other classes. It has been reported that these birds have the required levels of intelligence to fake a behavior. For example, even if a female is sick, she will prefer to fake her behavior to show other males that she is healthy in order to increase the likelihood of mating. Now this is indeed something wonderful and amazing that most people don’t know.

 

 

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