Intelligent animals.

It never ceases to amaze me how intelligent some animals are...

I stumbled across these two videos on BBC today. I felt I had to share them and see if others have any videos which portray an animals unexpected mental ability.

Here's one of an octopus not only learning to carry something, but learning how to crawl with it, make himself look like a shadow, and use two shells to create a shelter.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8408809.stm

And another astounding video of a crow learning to utilise three tools in succession... this one is really cool.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8182446.stm?ls


How some people can believe humans are the only intelligent species is beyond me.

So, anyone else have videos of animals doing the unexpected with their minds?

Tags: animal, animals, crow, intelligent, octopus, smart, video, videos

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jaume on December 15, 2009 at 12:04pm
The crow is a New Caledonian crow. They're known not only for using tools, but also for crafting them if need be, and even for devising entirely new tools of their own. Quite fascinating.
Permalink Reply by Johnsky on December 15, 2009 at 2:38pm
That is incredible.

Can't understand why some people think we're the only intelligent ones on this planet.
Permalink Reply by Howard S. Dunn on December 15, 2009 at 5:21pm

There are whole ecosystems that are created by the 'artifices' of beavers. Otters use tools - they lie on their bellies and crack open shell fish on rocks they balance there.

Non-human intelligence is fascinating.

I define intelligence as the ability to map an environment. The level of accuracy, the ability to update, expand, and maintain a map - and then predict things using it - is intelligence. Math, music, science, history, language, etc. are all maps - if you think about it. And they are also what we consider the products of intelligence.
Permalink Reply by Goz on December 23, 2009 at 8:16pm
I read it earlier this year..Great book!!!!!
Permalink Reply by Johnsky on December 15, 2009 at 10:11pm
You equate warfare with intelligence?
Permalink Reply by Howard S. Dunn on December 16, 2009 at 11:53pm
You guys should read Stanislav Lem - kind of a Polish Vonnegut. He mostly writes short stories about a future without humans - but robots and computers have survived. He writes hilarious and eye-opening satirical morality plays with this device.

In one - there is a war. One side realizes that, if it can make five robots operate in total concert, it will get an edge. But, as is often the case in warfare, the other side sees and replicates the technology. So it escalates until both sides have divisions of robots, all operating in concert. However, at some point, the collect intelligence of this level of cooperation results in warfare evolving into a civilized game of some very high level chess ...
Permalink Reply by Jaume on December 17, 2009 at 7:00am
You guys should read Stanislav Lem - kind of a Polish Vonnegut.

I've always seen Vonnegut as an American Lem ;-). Guess that explains why they are my two favorite SF writers.
Permalink Reply by Howard S. Dunn on December 18, 2009 at 9:05pm
Lol - "I say toe-may-toe, you say toe-mah-toe" ... I was putting it in terms an American would likely relate to. But I see your point. (Plus, since you are a francophone - my guess would be you actually DO say toe-mah-toe)

Excellent taste in authors, BTW.
Permalink Reply by Jaume on December 19, 2009 at 3:04am
my guess would be you actually DO say toe-mah-toe

I say la vie en rose.
Permalink Reply by OutlawGirl on December 15, 2009 at 7:50pm
It's more accurate to say that humans are the only technologicly advanced civilization on earth, and I'm not sure if this is entirely or even mostly a product of our intelligence. I think we just happened to win the evolutionary jack pot when it comes to building intelligent civilizations.

Our complex social structure allows us to work and live together in enormously large groups.

We reproduce quickly and put a lot of investment into our young.

From birth we possess a biological communication system so effective that it is probably only rivaled only by the pheramones of inscet colonies.

Our hands are highly dexterious, allowing for the creation of complex tools, and our bodies strong enough to carry heavy loads, especially when working as a team, most importantly building materials.

We can create our own shelters and body armor from the enviorment. We can also create weapons.

We are by nature enormously adaptive and industrious. We are also efficent runners. Not only can we travel long distances, we can live virtually anywhere.

If we had just one of these traits plus our intelligence, civlization would never get anywhere. If we had all of them but to a lesser degree we also wouldn't have made a lot of progress. But we got lucky. We stumbled upon the sweet spot. There's still pleanty of room for improvement, but we got off the ground and that's a good start.
Permalink Reply by Johnsky on December 15, 2009 at 10:16pm
I find most of our technological advancements are byproducts of competition through warfare. Conflict drives our species more than anything else... if it's not conflict, it's competition.

I have yet to see another species declare war. They have squabbles between each other as is expected... but we're the only ones willing to attempt to annihilate each other systematically.

Not so sure our technological advancements are a very good example of our intelligence, rather, it's a good example of what we can do with what intelligence we do have through sheer desperation.

Intelligence is a tool.

Typically a tool is only picked up with a reason behind it.

For us, that reason is usually Conflict or Competition.

Sometimes it's picked up out of desperation for survival...

... but I much prefer it when that tool is picked up out of basic curiosity.
Permalink Reply by OutlawGirl on December 16, 2009 at 1:10am
Yeah. And just think of all the countless billions of individuals who had to die before our species even evolved on the planet. Most of them didn't just die - they were eaten alive. Conflict drives every species forward, from mice to men. So be emo about human progress if you want! Somewhere in Africa right now, a baby gazelle is being disembowled by hungry lions. I'm sure you have its sympathy.

Intelligence is a tool. Typically a tool is only picked up with a reason behind it. For us, that reason is usually Conflict or Competition. Sometimes it's picked up out of desperation for survival... but I much prefer it when that tool is picked up out of basic curiosity.

And the caveman who devoted his life to the invention of the first telescope died, because the caveman who invented fire took his cave and his spear.

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