The 10 Most Intelligent Animals on the Planet

Humans are pretty smart, don’t you think? We’ve put a man on the moon. We invented Slim Jims. Water parks are an awesome human creation too. But before you get all on your high horse, let’s not forget that we share the planet with a lot of brainy animals. For example, lemurs are smart. Not really. But they do have weird eyes and two tongues, so there’s that. Goats? Geese? Barn owls? We shall not speak of them. Anyway, before this article spirals out of control, let’s get back on track and look at the top 10 smartest animals in the world.

10. Octopuses
Listen, guys. We understand that octopuses are selfish animals. I mean, who needs eight legs? Can’t they at least donate a couple of them to snakes or something? But they are also far more intelligent than you might given them credit for. It has been found that they have distinct personalities, have basic problem-solving skills, and even entertain themselves when they feel bored. Silly looking? Yes. Smart? You betcha!

9. Pigeons
Pigeons are often called “rats with wings.” But consider this: aside from the rhesus monkey, pigeons are the only non-humans to possess abstract mathematical abilities. They can also recognize individual humans by their faces, which is kind of impressive. I mean, can you recognize individual pigeons by their faces? Didn’t think so!

8. Dogs
I really wish dogs could have been higher on this list. I love my dogs (Mister Toby, Mister Boo and Mister Logan, if you were curious to know). But let’s face it: they are goofballs. They’re still pretty smart though. They are naturally easy to train, can learn as many as 165 words, and understand human non-verbal cues better than any other member of the animal kingdom. They also demonstrate compassion and a whole lot of traits that are practically human.

7. Crows
Crows are total trolls to cats, guys. Just look at a few YouTube videos and you’ll see what I mean. They are exceptionally intelligent. They can solve problems and there’s even a story about a girl in Seattle who feeds crows and receives gifts in a show of gratitude. Crows can also distinguish between “friendly” and “hostile” human faces. I’m pretty sure I would fall into the former category.