Animal Intelligence Isn’t to Be Underestimated

Squirrels

Squirrels meticulously organise their food supplies, just as humans do when sorting groceries into categories. (Envato Elements pic)

Animated films love to portray squirrels as hyperactive animals with an obsessive relationship with food. And there’s some truth in this: these little mammals spend a great deal of their time looking for something to eat. Acorns, hazelnuts, walnuts, chestnuts, conifer seeds… Squirrels are opportunistic omnivores, adapting their diet according to what they find in their natural environment.

Their love of good food prompts them to be extremely clever when it comes to protecting their cache. In 2010, American researchers noticed that squirrels are very agile at hiding their food supplies when they feel they are being watched by a potential thief. For example, they sometimes dig holes and pretend to bury acorns within, in order to mislead curious animals.

“Deceptive caching involves some pretty serious decision making. It meets the criteria of tactical deception, which previously was thought to only occur in primates,” Dr Michael A Steele, one of the academics behind this discovery, told the New York Times.

Squirrels also seem to have an ability to organise their food reserves intelligently, rather than haphazardly. A study published in 2017 in the journal Royal Society Open Science explains that these bushy-tailed animals consider various factors before deciding to hide a particular food, including its perishability and nutritional value. This method helps them remember the location of their various hiding places.

“Squirrels may use chunking the same way you put away your groceries. You might put fruit on one shelf and vegetables on another. Then, when you’re looking for an onion, you only have to look in one place, not every shelf in the kitchen,” explained Lucia Jacobs, study senior author, in a press release.

Goldfish

Goldfish have been scientifically proven to possess good memories and have a notion of time. (Envato Elements pic)

In popular culture, goldfish have a reputation of not being very clever. Goldfish are also thought of as having a memory of just a few seconds. This belief is so widespread that an expression exists – “has the memory of a goldfish” to talk about a person who is rather forgetful.

However, a study published in 1994 in the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behaviour shows that this reputation has no scientific basis. The authors trained several goldfish specimens to activate a lever to feed themselves, and discovered that these aquatic animals have a notion of time.

And that’s not all. In a paper published in 2022 in the journal Behavioural Brain Research, researchers at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University claim that goldfish are capable of ‘driving’ vehicles in a terrestrial environment.

The scientists came to this conclusion after creating a device enabling a goldfish to move around on land. The device is actually an aquarium connected to a rolling, robotized base, which reacts to the fish’s movements. If the animal swims to the top of its water tank, the vehicle moves forward; if it swims backwards, it stops.

The research team trained six goldfish over several days to learn how to pilot the machine. They had to reach a target, which took the form of pink corrugated board, to obtain food pellets as a reward. Over time, the fish were able to reach their target faster and faster, without getting lost. The academics concluded that goldfish know how to “transfer [their] space representation and navigation skills to a wholly different terrestrial environment.”

Pigeons

Pigeons have great spatial orientation, and can tell the difference between a Picasso and a Monet. (Envato Elements pic)

There are those who love them and those who hate them. But, whatever the case, most people agree that pigeons are a nuisance, especially in cities, where their droppings can cause a lot of damage. Nevertheless, there’s a lot that can be learned from them.

First of all, in the area of spatial orientation. While most humans struggle to find their bearings without consulting Google Maps, some of these birds are able to find their aviaries located hundreds of kilometres away, without any apparent landmarks.

The scientific community is still unable to explain precisely how this special sensing ability, which enables them to orient themselves across long distances, works, although the hypothesis considered most likely is based on magnetoreception.

What’s more, pigeons have another unusual capability. They are able to tell the difference between a Picasso and a Monet.

That was the finding of a study published in 1995 in the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behaviour. Its authors explain that these birds are able to recognise the works of these two painting legends thanks to their impressive observational capacities.

Even more impressive, the pigeons can even distinguish between Impressionist and Cubist paintings. A skill that some human beings lack.

Termites

Termites are master architects, building extremely complex nests. (Envato Elements pic)

Seen from a human perspective, termites are often depicted simply as insects that gnaw away at wooden frames and furniture. And indeed, this makes them an invasive species that humans need to protect their homes against. Yet termites are remarkable in many ways.

Firstly, they are extraordinary builders. Termites are capable of building extremely complex nests.

In 2019, a British team discovered that these insects had built a network of nests in central Brazil covering an area of 230,000 square kilometres, the size of Great Britain.

As if that weren’t enough, the interiors of these creations would make the best engineers green with envy, because they are constructed in such a way as to allow temperature regulation and ventilation control.

Termite mounds also feature pores – of varying sizes – that help to drain off rainwater, making them resistant to flooding.

Termites’ architectural skill is all the more impressive in that it’s not based on chemistry, as was long thought, but on physics.

In an article published in the journal eLife in 2023, French-Belgian researchers explain that these insects can sense the geometric shape of structures, and more specifically their curvature.

Thus, they would be able to realise that it’s wiser to add pellets to curved areas than to flat surfaces.

Nevertheless, how termites actually work is not fully understood. But their nests are so well conceived that they have inspired architects like Mick Pearce. He used the termite mound principle to build the Eastgate Center, a retail and office building in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Conclusion

The scientific community is constantly revealing fascinating new aspects of animal intelligence. While the cognitive abilities of chimpanzees, elephants, and crows are well established, other species remain largely underestimated. Yet they, too, demonstrate remarkable abilities. Squirrels, goldfish, pigeons, and termites are just a few examples of animals that possess impressive intelligence, problem-solving skills, and adaptability. Their abilities may not be as flashy as those of humans, but they are no less remarkable.

FAQs

* What is the most intelligent animal in the world?
+ The answer to this question is subjective and can vary depending on the criteria used. However, some animals, such as dolphins, elephants, and chimpanzees, are widely regarded as being highly intelligent.
* Can animals learn and adapt?
+ Yes, animals are capable of learning and adapting to their environments. This is evident in the examples provided in this article, such as squirrels’ ability to adapt to different environments and termites’ ability to build complex nests.
* Are all animals intelligent in their own way?
+ Yes, animals have evolved to thrive in their environments, and their intelligence is often tailored to their specific needs. This is evident in the examples provided in this article, such as pigeons’ ability to recognize art and goldfish’s ability to learn and remember.