Top 10 Smartest Animals in the World

We humans can learn, reason, and solve problems, human beings.
We are conscious of ourselves, and we are also aware of others’ presence, thoughts, sentiments.
Scientists may not agree that humans have complete intelligence in the animal kingdom, but commonly agree that humans are very intelligent.
Research has shown that some animals are far smarter than people realize, according to National Geographic.
In this respect, we have created a list according to animal intelligence.
Both small and large animals made up the list and proved that larger species are not always better in terms of brains.
Following is the list of smartest animals in the world rankings:

10. Bees

Honeybees have developed through “swarm intelligence,” with around 50,000 workers working together in a single colony taking democratic decisions. 
When hives get crowded during spring, bee colonies send out ‘scouts’ to find new locations to build a new hive. 
If there are disagreements among scouts with the colony’s next hive, they argue their case peacefully: a dance-off. 
In a quest to convince other scouts of the merit of their spot, each scout performs a “waggle dance.” 
The more enthusiastic the dance, the happier the scout was with its newfound place. 
The rest of the colony votes with their bodies; they fly to the place they prefer and join the dance moves so far as the # 1 bee disco of the local reigns. 
Regrettably, how awesome it would be if only Congress settled its disputes in the “dance-off” way. 
Neuropsychiatrist Jon Lieff observed, “They have a kaleidoscopic memory of every flower for miles, and learn from wise elders where the best flowers are.”

9. Squirrels

Squirrels are fast learners and learn from their peers, according to a recent Science Daily study.
Food stealing is the squirrels-passing trick. Recent researchers reported that rodents showed advanced caching to counteract robbery.
When squirrels see humans stealing their peanuts, this behavior develops in the experiment.
The scientists have asked for a sign that squirrels could perceive other’s actions but only learned behavior.
Squirrels who knew that they were being observed dug fake bins for their nuts, digging holes and patting them with sand, covering their precious nuts under their armpits or mouth until they could find some right place to hide.
In the scent of rattlesnakes amid California, researchers found squirrels are covering their fur to mask the smell of predators.

8. Octopus

We can say that among invertebrates, Octopuses are among the least expected yet most intelligent animals ranked.
The tricks used to detect the enemy and locate them are proof to show these multi-armed creatures’ intellectual power.
Don’t be fooled by those squishy hands.
According to researchers, Octopuses are incredibly smart and can communicate their details like cultural information, mimicry, and communication using colors and patterns.
Octopuses have the biggest brain compared to the rest of the invertebrates.
An average Octopus has about 130 million brain neurons.
There are 100 billion neurons in the human brain. Three-fifths of the neurons octopus has, however, is not limited to the brain.

7. Parrots

Parrots are considered as intelligent as human children. That’s why the parrot is the only one of the two birds listed among the smartest animals.
These birds solve puzzles and also know the cause-and-effect notions.
Among them are the African greys, a parrot subspecies renowned for incredible memory, cognitive abilities, and counting ability.
African grey parrots can learn and use a considerable number of human words to communicate with humans.
We all know how ingenious parrots are, but are they all capable of doing just that? No!
Over the years, there have been several studies on different parrot types to determine what they can and how intelligent they are.
Alex (an African Grey Parrot) was the subject of a 30-year study that concluded that he was as bright as a 5-year-old human!
Alex could identify over fifty objects, five shapes, differentiate colors, and recognize up to six numbers.
Not just that, but Alex had more than a hundred words in his vocabulary, too!
Perhaps most interestingly was Alex’s ability to ask a question.
He asked, “What color?” when looking at his self in the mirror?
After being told six times, he learned the word “Grey.”
The question signified a remarkably important aspect that Alex was the first-ever non-human animal to ask a question.
While animals like dolphins and primates can answer questions, no one has ever asked a question.
We can say that Parrots could are fully aware of their surroundings and their existence.

6. Crow family

Since ancient times crows and ravens are considered as the most intelligent birds ever.
Corvids have long before much study has been carried out in this area, for their intelligence.
Besides being one of the few species that can use tools to find food and solve problems, these birds have complex social systems.
Some crows or ravens have an excellent long-term memory to remember people’s faces.
It is found that crows have a social system and communicate with each other using gestures.
It’s bad news because if you harm them, the word among the flock might spread quickly for the flock to dive and strike your head.
We now learn that crows are smart enough to open hard-to-crack nuts by using as can figure out how to complete a complicated array of occurrences to solve a puzzle.
More distinctively, the New Caledonian crows are quite popular for picking locks, creating tools (Meta- and compound tools), and mirror use.

5. Pigs

Pigs are among the most intelligent animals in the world, according to critics.
It is found that this domesticated animal is wiser and more hygienic than cats or dogs (the reason pigs go around in the mud is not that they like to get dirty but because they have no sweat glands like us to cool them off).
Researchers who studied the pigs have learned that pig intelligence has excellent long-term memories, is good at solving puzzles, can understand a simple symbolic language, and likes to play and play-fights.
Oddly enough, these clever animals can learn to operate a joystick to move an on-screen cursor (get ready to be defeated on Fortnite next time by a pig).

4. Dogs

There would be no smartest animals list without Man’s best friends, our very own pet dog.
We humans use that intelligence for both personal and official protection.
Dogs understand empathy, show compassion, and have good gesture awareness.
The average dog knows about 165 human words, according to the canine intelligence specialist Stanley Coren.
A dog of Chaser border collie breed showed a 1022 word understanding.
I need not provide the evidence if you already own a dog.
For example, they can learn to sit, lie down and fetch, comprehend sign languages, and they can read the intentions of their owners (notice your dog when you have a plan to take them out for a walk).
Researchers found that in reaction to nonverbal data, they can at least find food, a form of awareness which scientists think is close to the human ability to learn another’s viewpoints.
Dogs can get aggressive if we don’t stimulate their mental energy.
What if I say to you that even their canine cousins like Wolves, Coyotes, Jackals, Foxes are far smarter than an average dog?
As you may have heard, it is true expressions like ‘crafty wolf’ or ‘cunning as a fox.’
It may sound like mystical characters from folktales, but these wild canines are too cunning than we know in reality.

3. Elephants

Elephants have a reputation for smarts and have excellent memories (sometimes more than us). 
They can remember specific routes over incredible stretches of land and for many years to watering holes — and unlike us, they never forget a friend (elephant or human). 
A female elephant named Shirley arrived at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee in 1999. 
An elephant named Jenny soon got excited and playful immediately. 
It was a strange elephant behavior as elephants need some time to develop friendship, nor was it love at first sight.
After some background research, it was found that 22 years ago; they used to perform in a circus together for a brief time.
In the wild, these extremely social animals are helpful, compassionate, and empathetic.
Their trunks and feet can cause seismic (land vibrations) activity, making it possible to communicate with other long distant elephants. 
Elephants are probably the only animals that use seismic waves to communicate. 
Researchers observed elephants use tools such as sticks to sway off ticks or with palm fronds to swat at flies. 
Because of their sheer brain size, elephants need to know anything or two about the world. 
We could see family members manage comfortably, help another species in times of need, play with water, and communicate with each other through vibration in their feet. 
Studies conducted at Emory University concluded that elephants display strong emotions to reassure others in distress and recognize themselves in the mirror (a cognitive test only passed by humans, apes, and dolphins).

2. Dolphins

Dolphins, after humans, have a high brain-to-body ratio.
Their trainers observed that Dolphins can understand emotions and intentionally mimic stupid apes that research them.
Findings from the Marine Mammal Studies Institute in Mississippi show dolphins can be the second sneakiest animal on earth.
When dolphins were trained in their tanks to pick litter and exchange them with trainers for fish, a dolphin named Kelly found a way to game the system.
Kelly discreetly tore single sheets of waste paper into multiple pieces by burying litter under a rock in her tank and then exchanging that piece for fish.
Kelly’s brilliant deception was not an accident; researchers say she did this practice deliberately.
Bottlenose Dolphins are just a handful of animal species that produce their vocal signature sounds using vocal learning.
Every dolphin creates a unique vocal whistle that gives an individual identity of its own early in life.
Since each whistle is different, dolphins can call each other by mimicking a dolphin with a whistle.
It is the same as calling one another by name as we humans do.
Most dolphins build strong social relationships to remain with the group’s injured and sick members to help them breathe onto the surface of the water if needed.
Sometimes, Dolphins also protects human swimmers from sharks by swimming around them or rushing at the sharks to scare them away.
Dolphins near the coast sometimes team up with fishers to catch fish.
Dolphins scare off fish from deep waters towards the shore towards where fishers ready to drop their nets.
Surprisingly, when the moment arrives to drop the nets, the Dolphins signal the catchers.
Dolphins get fishes from the hunt as a reward for their help.
Now that’s an example of what we can call brilliant teamwork.
In Australia, some dolphins use a sponge to protect their nose from hunting on the ocean floor, a behavior that parents pass to offspring.
There are countless examples to prove dolphins smartness, which we couldn’t include in our list.

1. Chimpanzee

Working with tools, communication with complex vocalizations, and good problem-solving capabilities makes chimpanzee the smartest animal in the world.
Primates share approximately 98 percent of DNA, which is remarkably similar to humans.
We could say that humans are closer to Chimps genetically than an African elephant is to an Indian elephant.
They live in social communities, and like humans, they can adapt to various environments.
Chimps make and use tools for drinking water, such as rocks, to crack up nuts and leaves.
In the human environment, they can play games such as chess or poker very well because of their ability to use game theory.
Chimpanzees are talented in outsmarting, dis-intelligent humans in many tests on the concept.
Chimpanzees have a pretty strong short-term memory, even better than us.
Ayumu, the chimpanzee, could remember the precise sequence and placement of the numbers on a monitor after observing it for less than a second.
For us humans, it is almost impossible to do it, even for skilled memory champions.
Chimpanzees have a much better short-term memory than almost all humans and can not be underestimated for their intelligence!
They use tools, organize their hunting strategies, interact with each other to reinforce bonds (sometimes sexually), and engage in violent acts.
Great Apes can show empathy, altruism, and self-awareness in field observations and lab experiments.