Discovery Channel :: News - Animals :: Animal Intelligence Resists Definition

Description

People generally define intelligence in terms that place our own species at the apex, but recent studies on other animals suggest skills such as abstract thinking, problem solving, reasoning, and language — once thought unique to us — may not be so uncommon after all.

"The closer we examine animals, the more they surprise us with their intelligence and awareness," said Jonathan Balcombe, a research scientist at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, DC.

"Chickens practice deception, pigeons can categorize images in photographs as quickly as we can, a gorilla plays a joke on a human teacher, and a tiny fish leaps from one tide pool to another using a mental map formed during high tide."
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Balcombe did admit that in the evolutionary lottery, humans got lucky. Factors such as climate, the need for socialization, and challenges associated with foraging for intermittently available food may have contributed to our unique skill set.

Taken individually or in other combinations, though, these skills are being increasingly noticed in other creatures.

Original URL

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/06/30/animalintelligence_ani.html

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/06/30/animalintelligence_ani.html