Animal Smarts: Intelligence in the Wild Kingdom


These Icons Have Changed People's Understanding of Intelligence.


By TUAN C. NGUYEN
June 9, 2008


Throughout history, intelligence has often been considered a quality unique to humans.




The belief that intelligence was human-specific was held by a list of influential thinkers, such as Rene Descartes, who argued that unlike people, animals were simply mindless creatures incapable of any complex thought. Even the scientific classification homosapien, which in Latin translates to "wise man," seems to highlight this distinction.
But several recent studies have challenged this long-held view.
Crows, for instance, invent tools. Researchers have observed them using twigs and wires to snatch food from hard-to-reach places. Octopuses have exhibited their own brand of ingenuity by using rocks to build homes in crevices along the ocean floor. The eight-legged eggheads have also been known for mischief, as one researcher learned when he captured one on video sneaking out in the middle of the night to feast on fish, than returning to its tank as if nothing had ever happened.
A few species, however, deserve special mention for being at the head of the class. READ MORE

Wow how interesting, thanks for posting.