by Morrigana Shalafae

Created on: December 30, 2006   Last Updated: April 30, 2007

There are many animals that fit the bill of clever. But how does one rank the cleverest?

Australian shepherd dogs can be trained to perform tricks and follow commands, but does that make them truly clever? How often do they figure out puzzles for themselves? For the most part, they are simply an intelligent and loyal dog.

Parrots are one of the notoriously clever animals. Not only do they display cognitive intelligence, able to sort by color and learn the names of objects, they are puzzle solvers. Even wild parrots have displayed an ability to solve puzzles they've never seen. In my personal experience, parrots can become escape artists, observing how their cage works, and then unlocking it from the inside. Parrots can even learn how to use the words they learn, forming their own sentences and responding appropriately to stimuli.

The corvid family of birds also display extreme cleverness. In Australia, corvids have learned how to eat the deadly Cane toad, by flipping it onto its back to avoid the poison glands. In northern England, the ravens there have been observed dropping nuts specifically in the crosswalk, then waiting for the light to change to eat the crushed nut. As pets, corvids are highly curious, yet destructive. Their intelligence drives them to find out everything they can, and they need to play with whatever catches their attention.

Of course, dolphins cannot be left out of any discussion on clever creatures. Dolphins love to play, and even the wild creatures are curious and playful. They make up their own games, have a great family structure, and have even shown signs of self-recognition. A dolphin will play with its own reflection, and, with a mark placed on their forehead, seem to know they are staring at themselves. A recent article in Time magazine stated that researchers listening to dolphin calls believe that dolphins name themselves, and even tell the other dolphins about their daily activities.

Amongst the ranks of highly clever animals, people overlook the octopus. Under lab conditions, octopus have learned to open jars in order to retrieve a fish locked inside. In addition, another octopus merely observing the first animal can learn how to open the jar as well.

So who wins the title of cleverest animal? I will hold that the corvids are the cleverest of creatures, their intelligence almost human in level. But that opinion is from personal experience, not clinical tests. If you disagree, find the research that supports your favorite animal.

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