1. Ape

This group consists of "primate" animals, including gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees. Humans and chimpanzees have 99% identical DNA, and chimpanzees can be said to be the smartest animals in the wild. Chimpanzees develop a close social structure, make tools, and show their individuality and self-awareness.

In the captive environment, apes can quickly learn human vocabulary and sign language, and even understand abstract concepts, such as identifying objects and concepts that do not exist in the current environment. Although many apes are kept in captivity because their populations are endangered, their life in the wild is definitely much better than that in captivity, because they rarely get the mental stimulation they need to live a complete life in a controlled environment.

2.dolphins

Dolphin is one of the smartest animals in the world, which can be understood as "human in the ocean". Their brains weigh about 3.5 pounds, which makes them the second largest in the animal kingdom. Although they do not have the same language skills as humans, dolphins have complex communication structures, which enable them to cope with challenges far beyond the simple task of solving mazes.

Dolphins will use their high IQ to form social groups, use tools and even pass on unnecessary cultural traditions. For example, after a dolphin named Billie stayed in the training facility for a period of time, Billie imitated her dolphin companion's performance skills of "walking the tail" on the water without human training. When Billie was released into the wild, several witnesses said that wild dolphins actually learned this performance ability, although this skill did not bring them any evolutionary advantage.

3. Elephants

It is not surprising that these giant creatures have the largest brains of all terrestrial mammals on earth. Among 2,565,438+billion neurons (almost three times that of human beings), they are famous for their excellent memory in the dormant state. This diversified neural network provides elephants with extraordinary navigation routes, foraging sites and long-term memory storage of fresh water locations, which may be the cause of life and death in the arid areas where they often roam.

In Amboseli National Park in Kenya, a group or a row of African elephants line up in front of a puddle. Their extraordinary memory helped them remember the way back to these places.

4.crow

Crows are arguably the smartest birds in the world. They are not as attractive as Embryo Cat in Africa, but they are more capable of overcoming dynamic challenges in rural and urban environments.

For example, researchers have witnessed crows in New Caledonia build composite tools to bypass the jigsaw puzzle and get food hidden in it. This feat proves that crow's ability to solve problems has reached the level that only humans and chimpanzees can achieve.

There is a crow who catches fish with bread crumbs and drags the fishing line out of the water to eat easily. However, the crow's most incredible cognitive feat took place in Japan. The crow recognized the color of the street lamp and smashed hard-shelled nuts with the wheels of passing cars, while avoiding injury.

5.squirrel

Although naturally cute and frivolous, squirrels are actually orderly strategic survivors in a predator-intensive environment. The storage habit of the common gray squirrel best illustrates the most famous example of this forward-looking thinking method.

Gray squirrels need high calorie intake, so they must store food before winter comes for a rainy day. These highly intelligent creatures nest far away from dangerous tree crowns, but they bury food in several places to prevent their hiding places from being destroyed. Squirrels even set up fake storage places to confuse potential thieves and protect most of their nuts and other foods.

Gray squirrels use a memory technique called "spatial segmentation" to classify and bury nuts according to their size, type, nutritional value and taste.