15 Most Intelligent Animals In The World

we humans like to think that we are the cleverest creatures inhabiting the planet that we callers but not all animals are nothing but our small-minded cousins some could even rival or better us on the cleverness spectrum these are the most intelligent animals in the world [Applause] number 15 elephants elephants are the largest land-based animal in the world and while you probably know a lot about these amazing animals such as the way their trunks have more than 150 000 muscle fibers and are one of the most complicated structures in the animal kingdom did you also know that they're regarded as one of the most intelligent creatures on earth studies into their mental capacities have revealed they're capable of passing intelligence tests that were previously thought to be impossible for anything apart from humans because they can remember about it that they must touch them showing that they have an extraordinary level of self-awareness and understanding in fact they perform higher on these tests than children up to the age of two do which is very unusual they are able to recognize themselves in a mirror display evidence of cooperation with others and show sympathy towards animals of completely different species these are all abilities that are very rarely seen anywhere in the animal kingdom and even rarer in non-primates it may be true that an elephant will never forget but nor will it stand by while it sees another animal in distress and can work in conjunction with others to reach food sources and to protect against aggressors like this video smash the subscribe button and click the notification bell right now or this centipede will crawl on your face when you're sleeping [Music] now it's time for the juicy topic you may not think it as they look like thieving little trash bag scoundrels but raccoons are actually highly intelligent maybe even smarter than you or me assuming you yourself are not a raccoon that is their iq ranks higher than cats and only just under monkeys and the most interesting thing is that they have been proven to actively develop and improve their intellect based on situation for example a test in canada saw scientists develop specialized locked trashcan lids to prevent raccoons getting into the trash but during each and every round the raccoons would learn and adapt figuring out how to eventually unlock each and every one of the lids incredible right did you know raccoons were this smart as always comment down below with the hashtag juicytopic and let us know your opinion in relation to what we just showed on screen with that said let's move on to the next one number 14. chimpanzees as a primate species chimpanzees are one of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom there is a wealth of evidence to show they have a similar level of intellect to human children and can be seen with the way they form social communities and can even use tools to achieve their goals but their abilities go far beyond this a study was designed to test their memory which involved requiring them to memorize a sequence of numbers that appeared in a random position on a touchscreen amazingly the chimps displayed a recall ability similar to that of a photographic memory and were able to locate the correct position of the numbers far quicker and more accurately than a group of students who underwent the same test the results were completely at odds with what was expected but it may not be that much of a surprise when you think about what is important to their lives in the forest it tests a similar skill to how they are able to quickly memorize fruit locations on a tree for example and how they create a mental map of all the branches and routes and can quickly navigate them to get to their prize number 13. goats when talking about intelligence goats may not be the first animals that come to mind but there are some behaviors that are often exhibited by them that suggests far more mental activity than you might assume they are highly social animals something that often implies intelligence and if they become separated from others they can quickly become depressed this isn't the same socialization as when sheep flock for example because rather than just following each other they regularly communicate they recognize the bleeds of individuals so mothers and ids will call out to each other and know who it is that's speaking and they seem to be able to convey more complicated messages across than simply their location furthermore they are surprisingly clean spending many hours each day ensuring they haven't picked up too much dirt and they are very fussy about what they eat much more so than other farm animals like cows sheep or dogs they are also incredibly inquisitive and will always investigate anything new that's appeared in their field or that they don't recognize all of this shows that goats have a much higher level of conscious thought than other creatures and studies are currently taking place to see how far this goes number 12. parents parrots are renowned for their ability to speak our language but this doesn't necessarily mean they can understand us instead it's simply a form of mimicker where they can repeat words and phrases that they've heard before can you do a red wolf how about an owl the pretty songbirds how about a rooster but even the ability to do this implies an impressive level of cognitive functioning where they're able to hear and analyze sound in order to replicate them they have a range of other behaviors that support this idea such as problem-solving abilities the way that they can communicate what they want to other parrots and to their handlers the way that tests have shown their ability to add and subtract and surprisingly their understanding of the concept zero something that human children don't show comprehension of until they are a few years old to try and understand how they are able to do this researchers have conducted mri scans of parrot brains and found that they contain similar structures to those even seen in primates which are linked to heightened intelligence parrot brains are therefore much more similar to our own than many other animals and how this has become possible in a species that's so far from us in evolutionary terms is still not entirely clear number 11. dolphins dolphins are often said to be one of the most intelligent species of animal in the world but researchers are only just beginning to understand quite how true this is when in the wild they're seen in complex social structures with each individual being responsible for their own particular role in society something that can be seen clearly when they hunt together with some hurting the fish while others take the catch and share it with the rest in comparison with their body size dolphins have some of the largest brains of all even more so than chimpanzees with a brain mass on average of 1.6 kilograms they're second only to humans [Music] studies have shown their amazing ability to solve complex problems on a similar level to children around the age of 10 and not only are they able to learn but they can pass their knowledge onto other dolphins they also possess a rare ability that they can display and detect emotions in other dolphins and in other species which means they are able to react in the appropriate way a person struggling to swim when they're out of their depth will find that dolphins try to assist them whereas those that are comfortable in the water will instead find that dolphins try to play with them number 10 scrub jays scrub jays might at first seem to behave in a similar way to any other species of bird but they have been found to exhibit a specific type of intelligent behavior that's very rare in the animal kingdom the foresight of their needs most animals deal with the problems or desires that they face in the moment if they're hungry they'll search for food and if they're in danger they'll try to escape it scrub jays on the other hand plan well in advance to ensure that they never get caught short they will for example know when certain foods are available and if they like to eat it in the morning when they know they'll be hungry but only ever find a food source of it in the evening phil had a stash near where they sleep so it'll be available to them when they need it it was previously thought that only humans could detach themselves from their immediate desires and plan for the future something that we only learn by around the age of five but the fact that jays can do the same thing implies a much higher level of intellect than you would otherwise think number 9. dogs dogs are man's best friend and while many of their behaviors can be explained by breeding and that the more friendly and cute they appear to be the more likely they are to be given treats and looked after they also exhibit signs of much higher intelligence than other animals they can for example catch a yawn from you when they're tired this happens between people all the time and is a process called emotional contagion it's a form of empathy and the fact that dogs have it shows they're much more connected and interested in us than it seems at first anyone who's had a dog as a pet will know that they are very good at reading our expressions and behaviors they know when we're happy and are good to play whereas they will sense if we're feeling tired or ill and will adapt their own behavior accordingly on some communication tests dogs are more capable than chimpanzees and even human children mri scans have shown that there are parts of a dog's brain that are dedicated to processing voices in the same way that human brains do which explains why they respond so well to vocal commands and use their own voices to communicate with the world around them number eight cats if you've ever sat watching a cat and become convinced that it's scheming plotting and deciding on how it's going to manipulate you to its own ends then you're probably right digi's name will definitely go down in cat history their brains are structured in a very similar way to our own and some studies have suggested there may be around a 10 percent difference between theirs and ours the cerebral cortex is one of the most important brain structures which is responsible for deciding upon actions understanding language and the first stages of encoding both short and long-term memory cats have a surprisingly developed cerebral cortex with more than 300 million neurons and this goes some way to explaining why they are so adept at certain skills such as learning behaviors and solving puzzles like which branches to use to quickly climb a tree cats are also very visually oriented and use their eyesight to map the world around them the parts of their brain related to deciphering this information have more nerve cells than most other creatures in the animal kingdom including humans number seven gross have you ever seen a crow hopping and flying around your backyard if you watch them closely you'll see that they aren't moving around randomly but are deliberately planning each move to get what they want and they have been documented performing some pretty complex tasks one study for example found that while crows don't appear to have the ability to use tools they do have a complex understanding of the relationship between and the behavior of certain things in the wild they will therefore pick up stones to drop in a pool of water so its level rises enough for them to reach worms that are floating on the surface and will drop nuts on a road for cars to drive over and crack before swooping down to eat the contents both behaviors that require an incredible understanding of the world around them they have also been shown to recognize human faces and will fly towards people that have been friendly to them in the past or avoid those that have been less kind to them all of which proves that even a small bird brain can be intelligent number 6. cephalopods cephalopods are marine animals like octopus squid and cuttlefish that are known for their strange behaviors and abilities beneath the waves but beneath all of this is an intellect far higher than most other creatures they share their environment with most are able to change color to assist with hiding from predators or to attract prey towards them but they also use flashes of light to communicate with one another ranging from warnings about danger to more complex social interactions like where others of the same species are waiting or to work together to unlock a food source octopuses are notoriously difficult to keep in a tank because of their problem-solving capabilities they will stretch their tentacles out of a tank to try and find a way to escape and are so precise with their movements that they can even unscrew a bottle cap they're also able to navigate complicated mazes all thanks to having the largest brains in comparison to their body mass of any invertebrate interestingly however the fact that they've evolved differently to vertebrates means that their type of intelligence is fundamentally different from our own next time you order a plate of calamari just remember this because what you're eating could have been just as clever as you are number five squirrels squirrels might seem like they have a one-track mind when they're either hoarding food or when it's not available or are making use of those food stores but far more thought goes into everything they do they are able to learn how to perform tasks simply by watching something else do it so for example in one famous experiment they would watch another squirrel remove a nut from a pot [Music] and then were given their time to take some food instead of going to the same pot they recognize that the food has already been taken from it so we'll open the other one instead squirrels also have an incredible memory it's all good burying nuts around a field to retrieve later but they have to remember the precise location otherwise they're going to get very hungry creating a mental map of the area and recalling every hiding spot is a very intensive mental process and one that signifies a heightened level of intellect to be possible could you remember the exact place that you've left everything that matters to you number four bees we don't usually associate insects with any form of intelligence beyond their instinctual reactions but bees even with their tiny brains are far more clever than you'd ever imagine studies have been designed to test their problem-solving abilities and have shown that they can figure out all sorts of ways to overcome obstacles in order to get the sugary reward that they constantly crave not only are they remarkably adept at navigation and remembering the important locations near to their hive but they can also use tools and their surroundings to get what they want they can for example learn to pull a piece of string to release sugar bees were taught to move a ball to the center of a platform after seeing another bee do it while others have been taught how to manipulate a ball into a target before sugary water is released it's amazing to think that animals as small as bees are able to problem-solve and learn by observation and it forces you to question whether we underestimate most of the animal kingdom could this be evidence that most creatures are more intelligent than we give them credit for and that the exception to this rule is just a few species that lack this higher brain functioning number three sea lions sea lions have been a popular attraction at zoos for hundreds of years thanks to the ease at which they can be trained to perform tasks like balancing a ball on their noses but there's far more to this than simply tilting their heads upwards it requires a high level of concentration and balance something that requires heightened intelligence to be present and they've been shown to have many more surprising abilities they are very good at learning new skills especially when they're suitably motivated to do so and will problem-solve to find their way around obstacles in the search of food they have a sense of symmetry and equivalence and have a natural sense of rhythm often being seen nodding their heads in time with music they have long-term memories and are able to do something they've learned many months after last doing it and have even been taught to speak a basic version of sign language next time you see one performing with a ball just imagine what it must be thinking it's probably looking back at you wondering when you want to see something more complicated number two pigeons they're often seen as the scourge of inner city squares but pigeons have far more going for them than just being urban pests they have for hundreds of years being used to transport messages across long distances and are so reliable at doing so that they were even used during world wars in wartime pigeon messengers were fast dependable and nearly impossible to intercept to take information across enemy lines hundreds of lives have been saved because of the acts of pigeons but the fact they're even able to do this is unbelievable if you were released into a field how long do you think it would take you to travel across a continent and find your way back to your home even with the aid of a compass and even a sat nav you'd be prone to making mistakes but pigeons take a direct route first the pigeons have to understand where they are in relation to their destination something that's believed to be done by sensing the earth's magnetic field once they decide on the direction they need to fly they remember the surrounding landscape of where they're going and use this to home in on their landing perch number one orangutans anytime you visit a zoo that has orangutans it's always worth spending some time at their enclosure because if you watch them closely you'll start to seriously question how ethical it is to keep these incredible animals in captivity genetically speaking they are only three percent different to us and are so physically similar that they suffer from many of the same illnesses that we do and will even start experiencing cardiovascular complications later in life females impart their knowledge onto their young teaching them things like how to reach food what to avoid eating and how to protect themselves and they've been proven to be exceptional problem solvers very striking when you sit as close with the ability to make and use tools to complete a task they'll also watch humans and learn from them even applying suntan lotion after seeing people do it and some individuals have even been taught how to speak sign language if you're still not sure about how clever they are and how much they understand the world around them just watch their reactions when they're shown a magic trick they are just as confused as we are when things appear to disappear which is a classic example of understanding object permanence something humans don't develop until they're three or four years old do you believe animals can be as intelligent as us and are there any that you think we should have also included make sure to let us know in the comments section also check out our other cool stuff showing up on screen right now see you next time

Channel: The Genius Lemon

Views: 199,212

Rating: 4.8894792 out of 5

Keywords: most intelligent, intelligent, intelligent animals, intelligent animal, animals, animal, in the world, the world, world, tiger, crocodile, alligator, viral, list, pets, pet, biggest, natura, crazy, amazing, snake, wildlife, lion, best of, leopard, elephant, buffalo, anaconda, caught on camera, africa, asia, national geographic, natgeo, discovery channel, documentary, science, incredible, unbelievable, amazing facts, wild animal, wild animals, epic, mongoose, top 10, smartest animals, smartest animal

Id: 4U-b_D795NM

Length: 19min 41sec (1181 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 23 2020