When you think of the smartest animals in the world, there are a few species that will always come to mind: crows, dolphins, chimps, and so on. But there are millions of other species out there, and they’re not all dunces. In this post, we show you 5 surprisingly smart animals. A few of these secret geniuses may even be animals you see on an everyday basis.
1 – Chickens
Hardly anyone thinks of chickens as smart animals, but these barnyard birds actually have some impressive intellects.
“Chickens are the most underestimated animals on the planet. People think they are stupid and automatically respond to things; if there’s food, they eat, if they’re scared, they make a sound. This is not true. Their communications are sophisticated.” – Dr. Carolynne L. Smith1
Researchers have identified 24 distinct calls that chickens use to communicate with each other.2 Each has a different meaning. For instance, roosters use one particular call to let hens know when they’ve found a well-liked food.
Chickens use special calls to identify different types of predators and sound the alarm. They also employ different strategies for raising alarm calls depending on whether they’ve seen a predator on the ground or in the air. Chickens might even come up with “names” for individual humans, or at least calls that alert the flock to a specific human’s presence.3
“They can signal with remarkable precision about critical events in their world, such as the appearance of a particular type of predator, or the discovery of food. And they are not always truthful. Males attempt to lure hens with deceptive food, calling, but females remember each male’s track record and quickly become skeptical of those that are unreliable.” – Professor Chris Evans4
Additionally, scientists have found that chickens have a “number sense”. They order numbers from left to right, smallest to largest, just like humans do.5 Overall, there are a number of studies shedding light on the impressive intelligence of chickens, and there are bound to be even more in the future since chickens as study subjects are growing in popularity.
2 – Bees
Given that many scientists still argue whether or not insects are even conscious6, it’s not surprising that most people would not think of any type of bug as intelligent. But research shows that there’s something interesting going on in the brains of bees.
Bees live in large colonies which require cooperation to thrive. In order to cooperate effectively, bees need a way to communicate with each other. They seem to have accomplished this through dancing.7
Bee “scouts” that go out in search of places to gather nectar or build a new hive return to their colonies and relay this new information by doing a dance. They “waggle” their hind ends, aligning themselves at certain angles, moving in different patterns, and dancing for varying lengths of time. These nuances convey important details about where a food source or potential hive site is located.
After watching this dance, the scout’s fellow bees have the directions necessary to fly straight to the location described. Though not all bees respond perfectly to the “waggle dance” and scientists are still trying to sort out exactly what is happening in the minds of the bees who watch it, it’s been described as “the most sophisticated example of non-primate communication that we know of”.
In addition to this complex communication ability, bees are also able to distinguish between symmetrical and asymmetrical shapes, as well as recognize different number values.8,9 For brains that are just shy of 1 million neurons, all of these feats are highly noteworthy.
3 – Pigeons
When it comes to intelligence, pigeons have a dismal reputation. But is this deserved?
Not really. Pigeons have a long track record of performing well in cognition tests. Scientists have successfully taught pigeons how to count up to 9, to use touch screens to solve complex problems, and to correctly sort pictures into numerous categories.10,11,12 Their outstanding abilities can sometimes equal those of monkeys, and they even show a knack for learning to identify human words.13
Furthermore, pigeons may have the ability of self-recognition. Though they have never been able to pass a traditional mirror test, they have been able to pass a modified version with training.14 It’s possible that untrained pigeons don’t pass the test because they don’t have any natural incentive to touch unusual markings put on their bodies. Pigeons also seem able to distinguish between videos of themselves and videos of other birds