These broad areas represent a vast array of skills and abilities, such as the capabilities to learn, remember, memorize, reason, perceive and solve problems. The main markers of human intelligence are the abilities to learn from experience, use knowledge to manipulate surroundings, adapt to new situations, and understand and handle abstract concepts. Though we are beginning to realize that animals express their intelligence in unique ways, most research seeks to establish their thinking by comparing it to benchmarks we’re familiar with: our own. We tend to judge other animals against our own species’ intelligence. Here are 30 of some of the most intelligent animals in the world, and how they prove their smarts. What’s becoming more and more obvious is that there aren’t just a few highly intelligent animals, but rather a vast number, all of whom demonstrate their intelligence in unique ways.
Our increasing understanding of the minds of animals continues to fascinate. Nonhuman animals are constantly proving themselves to be capable of thought, empathy and intelligence in ways we never expected.
