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Minds of Their Own

Animals are smarter than you think.

/2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-01.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-01.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi Species: New Caledonian Crow
Home: Oxford University, Oxford, U.K.
Smarts: Solves problems and creates and uses tools—once thought the domain solely of primates.]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1130320 /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-02.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-02.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi Species: Orangutan
Home: Great Ape Trust of Iowa, Des Moines
Smarts: Shows cognitive complexity and flexibility rivaling that of chimps; the species maintains cultural traditions in the wild.

"Azy has a rich mental life," says Rob Shumaker of his study subject and friend of 25 years. "Orangutans are on equal cognitive footing with African apes, or even surpass them on some tasks." Not only does Azy communicate his thoughts with abstract keyboard symbols, he also demonstrates a "theory of mind" (understanding another individual's perspective) and makes logical, thoughtful choices that show a mental flexibility some chimpanzees lack. In the wild, orangutans keep innovative cultural traditions: Some groups construct foraging tools for extracting insects from tree holes; others use leaves as rain hats or napkins, wad them up as pillows, or line their hands with them when climbing a spiky tree. And in rare instances orangutans will twist leaves into bundles and cradle them like dolls.]]> /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-03.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-03.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi Species: Asian Elephant
Home: National Zoo, Washington, DC
Smarts: Retains long memories and social ties possesses a sense of self. What does an elephant see when it looks in the mirror? Itself, apparently—a rare cognitive feat previously known only in humans, apes, and dolphins. Asian elephants in mirror studies first explore the mirror as an object. But on further inspection they may realize they are seeing themselves. They move atypically, watching the show, and will repeatedly touch a mark painted on their heads that they wouldn't see without the mirror. "These are such compelling indications of self-awareness," says Hunter College's Diana Reiss.]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1130315 /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-04.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-04.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi Home: Standford University, Stanford, CA
Smarts: Determines social rank through observation, a step on the way to logical reasoning.

In certain African cichlid fish, males watch others fight to size up their competition, and females, when fertile, sidle up to the most active territorial males. Meanwhile, subordinate males may adopt female colors to sneak food from another male's territory. "They can do all this at eight weeks old, with brains the size of a small pea," says Russell Fernald, who studies how social dealings alter the fish's brain cells. ]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1130317 /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-05.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-05.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi Species: African Gray Parrot
Home: Brandeis University, Waltham, MA (until death at age 31 in September 2007)
Smarts: Counted; knew colors; shapes, and sizes had basic grasp of the abstract concept of zero.]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1130310 /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-06.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-06.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi Species: Black Leicester Longwool
Home: Hopping Acres Farm, Bruceton Mills, WV
Smarts: Sheep recognize individual faces and remember them long-term.

Tell sheep they all look alike, and they may beg to differ. Like primates, sheep, in studies, recognize different faces (about 50 other sheep and 10 humans) and still know them two years later. They are calmed by familiar faces and can tell both happy and angry expressions (they prefer the former). These are sophisticated abilities in an animal not widely known for smarts, says Babraham Institute's Keith Kendrick. How the sheep brain encodes facial identity and emotional cues may be relevant in some human disorders, he says.]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1130316 /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-07.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-07.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi Species: Ring-tailed Lemur
Home: Duke University Lemur Center, Durham, NC
Smarts: Displays abilities that offer insight into the evolutionary precursors of counting and ordering sequences.

Ring-tailed lemurs may be primitive detours off the primate line, but they have impressive numerical abilities. Duke's Elizabeth Brannon reports the animals will repeat arbitrary sequences on a touch screen with their noses and can discriminate between quantities. "They'll do hundreds of trials," she says, "getting better over time as they "learn how to learn." ]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1130309 /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-08.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-08.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi Species: Border Collie
Home: Vienna, Austria
Smarts: Retains an ever growing vocabulary that rivals a toddlers.

How much thought goes on behind those eyes? A lot, in this case. Six-year-old "Betsy" can put names to objects faster than a great ape, and her vocabulary is at 340 words and counting. Her smarts showed up early: At ten weeks she would sit on command and was soon picking up on names of items and rushing to retrieve them—ball, rope, paper, box, keys, and dozens more. She now knows at least 15 people by name, and in scientific tests she's proved skilled at linking photographs with the objects they represent. Says her owner, "She's a dog in a human [pack]. We're learning her language, and she's learning ours."]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1130318 /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-09.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-09.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi Species: Giant Pacific Octopus
Home: National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD
Smarts: Has distinct personality, uses tools, recognizes individuals.

With sizable brains and dexterous arms, octopuses are known to block their dens with rocks and amuse themselves shooting water at plastic-bottle targets (the first reported invertebrate play behavior) and at lab staff. They may even express basic emotions by changing color, says Seattle Aquarium's Roland Anderson. ]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1130314 /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-10.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-10.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi Species: Bonobo
Home: Great Ape Trust of Iowa, Des Moines
Smarts: Acquired language spontaneously; makes tools at level of early humans.

Young Kanzi began picking up language on his own—observing scientists trying to train his mother. At 27, the bonobo "talks" using more than 360 keyboard symbols and understands thousands of spoken words. He forms sentences, follows novel instructions, and crafts stone tools—altering his technique depending on a stone's hardness. He even plays piano (he once jammed with Peter Gabriel). Lodge us together with bonobos for 15 generations, says Great Ape Trust's William Fields, "and the bonobos would become less bonobo, the people less human. We aren't really that different." Case in point, Fields is now analyzing Kanzi's vocalizations: "We think he may be speaking English words, just too fast and high-pitched for us to decode." ]]> /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-11.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-11.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi Species: Marmoset
Home: University of Vienna, Austria
Smarts: Learns from and imitates others.

Common marmosets, as infants, learn what to eat by watching elders and, like apes, can imitate other's actions—one of the most complex forms of learning. (They even have a sense of "object permanence"—knowing that something out of sight still exists.) But, says Friederike Range of the University of Vienna, the primates' short attention spans may keep them from developing more complex behaviors.]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1130319 /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-12.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-12.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi Species: Western Scrub Jay
Home: Cambridge University, Cambridge, U.K.
Smarts: Recalls the past, plans for the future.

Don't let the walnut-size brain fool you. Western scrub jays do some real reasoning, says University of Cambridge professor Nicky Clayton. They will move a food cache if another jay sees them hide it, recalling when they themselves were thieves. Clayton says jays also spontaneously plan for tomorrow's breakfast, basing food stores on future hunger regardless of current needs.]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1130321 /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-13.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-13.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi Species: Bottlenose Dolphin
Home: National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD
Smarts: Excels at communication and imitative behavior.

Master mimics with long memories, a tight grasp of vocabulary and syntax, and a creative streak, dolphins are cognitively and behaviorally flexible. Says University of Hawaii's Louis Herman, "They have big generalist brains like we do. They'll manipulate their world to make things possible."]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1130313 /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-14.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-14.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1130326 /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-15.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-15.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1130323 /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-16.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-16.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi Glossophaga soricina reveal the bats remember locations where food is depleted, keeping in mind as many as 40 previous site visits—helping them to decide where next to seek nourishment.]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1130324 /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-17.jpg /2008/03/animal-minds/img/animal-minds-60-17.jpg Photograph by Vincent J. Musi http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1130327