While humans may think we are the smartest creatures in the world, several other species are just as intelligent or even more so. From on land to underwater, these animals know how to communicate, locate danger, and outsmart predators every day. Check out these seven smartest animals in the world, and how they prove their intelligence to survive.
7. Gorillas
Our seventh selection for the smartest animals in the world is the gorilla. Similar to other great apes, gorillas use tools, have problem-solving skills, and emotional complexity. Some gorillas have even learned sign language, like Koko, who mastered over 1,000 signs to communicate with humans. Recent research shows that gorillas, along with orangutans and chimpanzees, may be more intelligent than the early hominin Australopithecus.
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6. Wolves
Sixth on the list of smartest animals in the world is the wolf, a highly intelligent pack animal known for advanced teamwork. In each pack, wolves must rely on each other and their hierarchical social structure to successfully hunt, defend their territory, and raise offspring. Wolves may also be more cognitively advanced than dogs since they can make a connection between cause and effect.
5. Crows
While crows may be annoying at times, they are one of the smartest animals roaming on Earth. Crows and other corvids are some of the most intelligent birds on Earth, rivaling even some primates. They have been documented remembering human faces, creating and using tools, solving puzzles, and making statistical inferences. Research has even been done to compare a crow’s reasoning to a 7-year-old human child, proving their intelligence.
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4. Elephants
Elephants have long been recognized as some of the smartest animals on Earth, along with their large size. Each elephant can recognize up to 30 relatives from their urine scents, proving useful to keep track of one another as they travel across the savanna. Elephants also clean their food and use tools, but the biggest part of their intelligence comes from an immense capacity to care for and have empathy for other members of their group.
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3. Dolphins
Dolphins are so intelligent that they are considered in the top five smartest animals on Earth. They have complex social lives, understand abstract concepts, recognize themselves in a mirror, use tools, solve problems, and follow instructions. Some bottlenose dolphins were even trained by the U.S. Navy to find explosive mines underwater. This is partially due to their high brain-to-body ratio, which is about four to five times larger than expected for their body size.
2. Chimpanzees
Rounding out our top two smartest animals is the chimpanzee, Homo sapiens‘ closest relative, sharing almost 99% of our DNA. Chimpanzees were the first nonhuman animals to be documented using tools in 1960, an ability previously thought to be exclusive to humans. Further research into chimpanzees has shown complex social lives, human-like emotions, and metacognition, even outperforming humans in some puzzles.
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1. Humans
Earning the number one spot for smartest animals in the world is, of course, humans. This is partially due to our large prefrontal cortexes, with a set of interconnected factors working together to drive the evolution of the brain to where it is today. Humans have built complex societies, made technological advances, developed languages, and have the ability to empathize with each other. Unfortunately, we are also the most destructive species, both to ourselves and to other animals in the world.
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