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Animal intelligence is a fascinating and diverse topic. While it's common knowledge that dolphins and chimpanzees demonstrate remarkable smarts in tests, we want to highlight 10 lesser-known animals that have astonished everyone by showing they are far more intelligent than we ever imagined in similar experiments.
10. The Chicken
Chickens have such small brains that they can live surprisingly well without their heads, like Mike the chicken in the image above. If a chicken can survive without most of its brain, it's hard to argue it even needs one to live, proving their resilience in the face of adversity.
Chickens have proven to possess an unexpectedly complex way of communicating. In one experiment, the call of a chicken that discovered food was played to a group of domesticated chickens. Rather than merely celebrating, the chickens reacted by informing one another of the food’s discovery, an example of what scientists call 'representational signaling'—a behavior once believed to be exclusive to primates and humans.
The same experiment also revealed that chickens can distinguish between corn and standard feed using specific calls, an ability previously thought to be limited to primates.
This shows that chickens are capable of conveying a wide range of information through different calls, such as warning about predators or alerting others to food locations. Not bad for a species we mostly see served in buckets.
9. Pigeons
Pigeons have a bad reputation. Often dismissed with unflattering nicknames like 'rats of the sky' and 'flying disease bags,' they are largely seen as pests by most of the Western world. But this perception doesn't do them justice.
However, in various experiments, pigeons have demonstrated cognitive abilities that are crucial to human intelligence, such as the ability to differentiate between things that are similar or different. For example, when shown two cars versus a car and a truck, a human can easily identify which image displays items that are the same and which doesn't. This is an example of abstract thinking, which is, to quote, the 'backbone of our thinking.'
In a touch-screen experiment, a pigeon was quick to grasp this concept. For comparison, the same experiment was conducted with baboons, yielding similar results. While it's not surprising that baboons, with their human-like hands, could manage abstract thinking, it’s a lot more unexpected that pigeons, who we usually associate with flying straight into our faces, could do the same.
Another study revealed that pigeons also have the ability to recognize themselves in a mirror with the same accuracy as a three-year-old child. Self-recognition is a rare skill found in only a few animal species, and yet pigeons—often the most disliked birds—can do it better than our own children.
8. Spiders
If you weren't already scared of spiders, get ready to learn that they're far smarter than you might have imagined. Typically seen as solitary creatures, certain spider species are surprisingly sociable, able to collaborate in groups of millions to build enormous, tree-sized webs.
If the idea of millions of spiders teaming up to reach a common goal isn't disturbing enough, consider this: in one experiment, Portia labiata, a type of jumping spider, demonstrated the ability to use trial and error. When faced with crossing a body of water, it would either leap or swim depending on the distance. Here's the creepy part: when waves pushed it back to the starting point, the spider adjusted its strategy, never repeating the same attempt—just like the clever velociraptors in Jurassic Park.
Even more unsettling is the fact that the spider could respond to both positive and negative feedback, modifying its tactics accordingly. Take a moment to absorb that: spiders are not only capable of teamwork to accomplish a common objective, but they can also learn and adapt from negative experiences. So, the next time you try to squish one and fail, you may have just made it stronger and more capable of sneaking up on you in the future.
7. Fish
The idea that goldfish have a short memory is completely false. In fact, the cognitive abilities of fish go much deeper than we could have ever imagined—so much so that they are capable of teaching each other.
In one experiment, a fish was placed in a tank with a net that had a small hole. After figuring out where the escape route was, the fish was removed. A year later, when it was put back into the same tank, the fish immediately recognized its surroundings and escaped.
Even more impressive is the fact that wild-caught fish, when placed in a tank with fish that had never seen the open ocean, were able to teach the captive fish how to identify predators and survive. Dr. Brown, the researcher behind this experiment, even suggested that trained fish could be used to train others 'en masse,' meaning the possibility of a fish army is entirely real.
6. Raccoons
Raccoons, with their bushy tails, human-like hands, and their little bandit masks, don't exactly give off the impression of being highly intelligent. However, in the few experiments conducted to assess their cognitive abilities, raccoons have outperformed expectations.
In fact, raccoons were originally intended to be the standard lab animal. However, scientists found them difficult to keep in cages because they kept escaping and stealing things.
In one experiment, raccoons were pitted against rats, dogs, and children. The task was simple: the subjects had to identify which of three light bulbs would turn on after a short delay. While dogs needed a 5-minute delay to figure it out, raccoons did it in only 25 seconds, and the best part? The raccoons didn’t even need to look at the light bulbs, a skill only children also demonstrated.
In another experiment, raccoons used their dexterous, people-like paws to identify objects solely by touch—a skill few animals have ever demonstrated. In fact, when competing against lab students, the raccoons performed just as well. To top it off, they were even able to remember the objects a year later in exchange for a reward.
5. Crows
Despite having brains smaller than a dolphin’s eyeball, crows are impressively intelligent—so much so that it's a wonder they haven’t taken over the world yet. They've been shown to use tools, recognize humans, and even play pranks on each other.
One of the most surprising discoveries, however, came from an experiment that revealed crows possess a human-like ability called 'theory of mind.' In other words, they can assess the emotional and mental state of other members of their species.
In the experiment, a western scrub jay (a member of the crow family) was given the chance to hide food with or without another bird present. When another bird was nearby and posed a threat to the food, the jay would always move the food to a new hiding spot, if given the chance.
4. Octopuses
The intelligence of octopuses (or octopodes) is one of the most studied topics in the animal kingdom, as countless experiments have been conducted to explore the cognitive abilities of these fascinating creatures.
Some studies indicate that, much like humans, certain octopuses have a preference for either their right or left side. Another famous experiment is the bottle test, where an octopus was given a bottle containing a fish. Within minutes, the octopus figured out how to open the bottle and retrieve the fish.
Researchers believe this demonstrates that octopuses may be capable of 'observational learning.' While some scientists dispute this idea, the videos showcasing this behavior are both compelling and, frankly, a bit unsettling.
3. Sheep
The term 'sheep' is often used as an insult, implying someone is weak-minded and will blindly follow others. However, despite this negative image, sheep are surprisingly capable of some remarkable cognitive abilities, rivaled only by humans and primates in certain respects.
In experiments conducted by the University of Cambridge, sheep were presented with yellow and blue buckets. One bucket contained food, and the other did not. Sheep were able to quickly recognize this pattern, demonstrating cognitive abilities on par with those of monkeys and even humans.
In an even more challenging test, sheep were required to identify which container held food based on its shape. They passed this task with impressive speed, performing similarly to a 'slow monkey'—which is still quite a remarkable feat.
Researchers even suggest that sheep have the ability to recognize human faces and emotions, and are capable of tasks such as route planning and forward thinking.
2. Pigs
Pigs are often unfairly labeled as both dumb and dirty. In reality, neither of these stereotypes hold true, and we’ll now focus on disproving the first one.
The cognitive abilities of pigs are truly extraordinary. Not only can pigs remember the exact location and quantity of food, but they can also tell when another pig has found food. Even more fascinating, pigs are able to detect when another pig is tailing them, and can employ a variety of strategies to shake them off.
The most impressive discovery came when researchers placed a mirror in a pig pen. The pigs were able to use the mirror to orient themselves and locate food more effectively. While it's unclear whether the pigs understood that the mirror reflected themselves, the fact that they could use it to navigate their environment demonstrates a level of intelligence comparable to some of the most intelligent animals on Earth.
1. Snakes
Snakes, being legless and lacking opposable thumbs, might seem like they wouldn't have much ability to solve problems. Early studies on these slithery creatures led to the assumption that they lacked cognitive abilities and were considered rather clumsy.
However, in an experiment by neuroscientist David Holtzman, several corn snakes were placed in a small plastic tub with various visual cues showing how to escape. After just one successful attempt, the snakes quickly learned to recognize these cues and navigated the test area effortlessly.
Interestingly, the older snakes outperformed their younger counterparts, proving that experience beats youth— even in the snake world. What's more surprising is that the snakes used their vision as much as their sense of smell to navigate, debunking the myth that they primarily rely on their sense of smell in unfamiliar environments.
