Countdown #1: The Most Intelligent Animals
A human child learns a lot from his surroundings,parents and virtually everything and everyone around him/her. This shows a high level of intelligence and imitation ability of humans.
Now Have you ever been amazed or fascinated by how a parrot is able to imitate human speech,or how a dog has the instinct to protect its owner and respond to instructions when taught or even the rare ability of the apes to imitate facial expressions? Don't this show some level of intelligence exhibited by this animals?
Here on my first article on the COUNTDOWN SERIES, I bring to you a Top Ten list of the animals with the most impressive level of intelligence.
#10: The Ant
Ants are one of the smallest animals in the animal kingdom and you can tell by their small size and nature that their brains are small, but the level of intelligence in communication, division of labour,learning,navigation and even cultivation of food exhibited by them is very fascinating.
Ants communicates among themselves using sound,touch and pheromones. pheromotic chemicals are used widely by ants to communicate and the system is developed in ants than in other similar insect groups.
Ants perceive smells using their antennae. The antennae is paired,long and mobile and helps it detect the intensity and directions of scents. Ants leaves pheromotic chemical trails on soil surfaces which are followed by other ants.
When an ant finds food it leaves a trail of pheromotic chemicals which are followed by other ants to reach the site and the scents are reinforced on their way back with food. When the ants have exhausted the food source, the returning ants leave no trail and the already existing trail scent dissipates.
Chemical secretions(pheromones) are not only used for making food trails, they are used for other purposes for example when an ant is smashed, its releases an alarm pheromone that draws attention from other ants to fight or to run away. There are other scenarios where some ant species release special pheromones called ''Propaganda pheromones'' that puts their enemies in confusion and makes them fight themselves.
Ants also shows great intelligence in division of labour. In a colony there are three kinds of ants: the queen, the workers and the males. The queen only responsibility is to lay eggs. an ant colony might have just 1 or few queens. A colony can only last a few week without a queen. The males have the responsibility of mating with the queen. The workers are the group of ants with the most responsibility. The solder ants protects the queen,build hills, gathers food, and attack enemies. When an enemy colony has been conquered, the ants collects eggs and takes care of them till they hatch. The hatched ants become the ''slaves'' of the colony. (i guess you didn't know that ants took slaves right?).
Intelligent behaviors exhibited by ants:
Most animals learn habits and behaviours by imitating others,But ants has been discovered to show interactive teaching and learning just like mammals
Farming: Ants are believed to cultivate fungi in plant leaves and eat them. This is known as fungus farming
Just like other insects, ants don't have ears but they ''hear'' by feeling vibrations on the ground by their feet
They can form colonies which can be thousands of miles long
They can enslave other ant species
They can lift objects 30 times their body weight
They can detect strangers in their midst by smell
#9: Crow
The crow is one of the most populated species of birds. They are black birds known mainly for their intelligence, ability to adapt and their loud ''caw''. There are over 40 crow species in the world. They are unafraid of human presence and are found almost everywhere in the world. A group of crows is called a murder.
Crows are omnivorous animals which eat vitually anything and everything from insects and reptiles to seeds ,grains, and even other birds. The crows have large brains and are a very smart bird species. They have amazing problem solving and communication skills. For example, crows drop nuts in roads so that car tyres can break them and they get food.(intelligent right?)
Intelligent behaviours exhibited by crows:
They show great communication skills and memory. For example, when a crow experiences a human who has been mean to it, it tells other crows and also teaches them how to know and identify the human. Studies and researches have shown that crows never forgets a face. So next time you encounter a crow, please try to be nice :)
The murder(group of crows) surrounds a crow when it dies. Just like a funeral, they gather to mourn the deceased and to find out what killed it. If it has been killed by a predator, they all team up to go after the predator.
*They are able to hide their food from other birds and also throw stones at predators to chase them away.
#8: Otters
WikimediaEropean Otter byDrew AveryLicenced under CC-BY-2.0.
Otters are mammals that live in water. They have webbed feet,thick fur for buoyancy and sleek streamlined body. They can be found mostly in river banks and ocean shores in every continent except in Antarctica and in Australia.
In some areas, otters have been hunted nearly to extinction because of mans coveture of the fur provided by this animal. There are up to 13 otter species in the world today and the species are of different sizes. The biggest otter species(gaint otter) grows about 6 feet long and the smallest at about 3 feet long.
Otters are known for their playful nature. You can see an otter sliding from embankments into water,chasing their tail and even wrestling. Otters are curious animals by nature and they love to check out new things. They spend most part of their day making themselves look good and grooming themselves.
The intelligence of the otter is mostly found in his playfulness, curiosity oh and otters have the ability to detect predators by sensing the change in vibration of water.
#7: Pig
Pigs are one of the most intelligent animals found all over the world. They are animals with stocky bodies, large ears, small eyes and snouts.
Pigs are animals with high intellectual capabilities and studies have shown that a pigs can be smarter than a 3 year old human child. Pigs are very social animals and When domesticated and trained, they can learn to do certain tricks and can even use a litter box.
Their level of intelligence can also be seen in their communication skills. It can warn others about danger by giving a loud roar and short grunt. Their defence power is in their speed and when put on the spot their tusk can also serve as weapons.
Intelligent behaviours of pigs:
Pigs can relate and socialize very well with each other. They eat together, sleep together and also walk together.
They can be domesticated and trained to do certain tricks
Their communication skills is superb even a baby pig can understand what is meant by a particular sound
They can trace their way back even when they are very far away from home
Wild pigs can create areas for growing seeds
#6: Octopus
pxhere: An OctopusOctopus are marine creatures with bulbous head and eight arms. They have been observed to be the most intelligent invertebrate.
They are boneless Animals and can pass through tight spaces when they squeeze themselves. Reproduction in octopus mostly lead to the death of the parents.
They show interesting intellectual abilities in detecting enemies,learning and defence.
Intelligent behaviours exhibited by Octopus:
Their newborns have the ability to learn habits from other octopus.
They have the ability to use tools.
They have the ability to change their colour and shape.
They secrete ink-like substance which slowdown their enemies and hinders their sense of smell.
They build a protective shield made of shells over their layers.
#5: Dog
Pixabay: DogDogs are regarded as mans best friend because of their stunning intelligence and ability to understand the human world. They show intelligence in their ability to learn, good sense of smell, and their protecting abilities.
A dog is said to be as intelligent as a two year old human. Dogs species are numerous and each species shows a distinct level of intelligence when domesticated and trained
Intelligent behaviors exhibited by dogs:
Dogs understands the human world more than any other animal species.
They have the ability to respond to instructions when trained.
They have the ability to identify various types of smell and scents.
They have the ability to learn fast from humans and their surroundings.
They can locate their homes from long distances.
#4: Whales
Pixabay: Orca killer whaleWhales are large marine animals. They have High cognitive power and are one of the most difficult animals to train because of their large size but they show great intelligence in their communication, social behaviors and imitation abilities.
Intelligent behaviors exhibited by whales:
Some wales like the beluga whale has the ability to imitate human speech.
Sperm whales have the largest brain among every living specie (so you see, big brains=great intelligence :) .it is not always like that though).
They have the ability to communicate using vocal tones.
They are social animals which hunt and travel in groups.
#3: Elephants
pixabay: ElephantElephants are one of the largest terrestrial animals. They are domesticated by certain people in the world. Elephants show great sense of intelligence and sociality when they relate with themselves and in their relationship with humans.
Intelligent behaviours exhibited by of elephants:
When trained, elephants can be very good human companions.
They have the ability to learn easily from their surroundings and environment.
The have the ability to hear from long distance away and also differentiate sounds.
They have the ability to use tools to find food and for defence.
They can show emotions like joy,sorrow etc.
#2: Dolphins
Pexels: DolphinDolphins are marine animals which are generally known for their high level of intelligence which have been used successfully by humans to solves problems and mysteries across oceans.
Intelligent behaviors exhibited by Dolphins:
They can show wide range of emotions.
Only one part of their brain sleeps when they rest.
The other part stays at alert in case of danger.
They have an amazing learning ability from their environment
They are the only aquatic animal to have passed the mirror test( a test used to know if an animal is self-aware and recognises itself on a mirror)
#1: The Ape
pxhere: ApeNo doubt the ape is the most intelligent animal after humans in the animal kingdom. according to most scientific research and theories, humans are said to have evolved from apes.
Apes shows very impressive social habits,communication skills and impressive reasoning. The apes DNA is similar to the human DNA. The ape family are made up of species like the Chimpanzees, Baboons, Gorillas etc
Intelligent behaviors exhibited by the ape:
They have great communication skills, within themselves and with humans.
They have they ability to learn from themselves and from their environment.
They have the ability to utilize tools for defence.
They can learn human speech and languages when taught.
They can imitate facial expressions