Smartest Animals: We don’t often give animals enough credit for their intellect. Many animals all around the world have human-like emotions, can understand human orders, have mastered complicated communication abilities, and are extremely sociable.
It’s no surprise that we’re enthralled by them! African wildlife, oceanic critters, and domestic pets all rank among the world’s smartest animals and falls under top 10 most intelligent animals or smartest animals in the world ranked.
Interacting with these animals is wonderful not just because of the awe they inspire but also because of the relationships we may build with them.
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There are many animals with high IQs, but these are a few of the more notable. Here’s a list of some of the smartest animals in the world or most intelligent animals after humans.
List of Smartest Animals in the World
Name of Smartest Animals in the World
Description of the Smartest Animals on the list
Rats
- Rats are extremely intelligent creatures. They are excellent scholars who are naturally attuned to learning and comprehending new topics.
- Rats have long been used as laboratory research animals. Despite their tiny and underdeveloped brains, their thoughts work quite similarly to humans, as does their brain anatomy. They can solve mazes, memorise routes, and complete multi-step activities.
- Rats are sociable too. They get depressed and lonely when left alone. Rats are clever because of their psychological and social distinctions.
| Kingdom |
Animalia |
| Phylum |
Chordata |
| Class |
Mammalia |
| Order |
Rodentia |
| Family |
Muridae |
| Subfamily |
Murinae |
| Genus |
Rattus |
| Scientific Name |
Rattus rattus |
Pigeons
- Pigeons, one of the world’s most intelligent animals, are capable of recognising all 26 letters of the English alphabet!
- Pigeons, which are popularly known as “flying rats,” are next on our list. But the grounds for their participation are vastly different. Self-awareness in pigeons has been demonstrated by self-recognition.
- They may remember individual persons and locations for months or even years. That memory is why pigeons have been used to send messages for millennia. Pigeons can distinguish between two individuals in images and all of the letters of the English alphabet.
| Kingdom |
Animalia |
| Phylum |
Chordata |
| Class |
Aves |
| Order |
Columbiformes |
| Family |
Columbidae |
| Genus |
Columba |
| Species |
C. livia |
| Subspecies |
C. l. domestica |
| Scientific Name |
Columba livia domestica |
Crows
- The Crow, a very smart animal, are one of the few non-primates that make tools. The Crow, a highly intelligent animal, is one of the few non-primates capable of making tools.
- Like the pigeon, crows are a highly clever animal that was utilised as a messenger. When fighting other animals, they can utilise complex group tactics, including flanking movements.
- Crows may also learn to speak and have a good memory. Crows have been observed changing migration patterns to avoid risky regions and even remembering garbage routes and timetables to better sneak a fast snack off trucks!
- Crows have the biggest brains of all bird species and can identify human faces. Despite their lack of hands and arms, New Caledonian crows can utilise tools, such as a knife, to separate leaves and grass.
- To reach hard-to-get food sources, this species employs hook and line. More crow information may be found here.
| Kingdom |
Animalia |
| Phylum |
Chordata |
| Class |
Aves |
| Order |
Passeriformes |
| Family |
Corvidae |
| Genus |
Corvus |
| Species |
C. corone |
| Scientific Name |
Corvus corone |
Pigs
- Pigs are regarded to be more trainable than dogs or cats by animal specialists, and they are also considered to be highly intelligent creatures.
- The 10 smartest animals are pigs, just ahead of dogs. Pigs have a considerably higher IQ than dogs, which is similar to a toddler. They can understand reflection at six weeks old, but human toddlers require many months to comprehend.
- Pigs can also sing to their young and utilise roughly 20 distinct sounds to communicate. Pigs respond to emotion and may even demonstrate empathy when needed, which is an uncommon feature in animals. On this page are more pig facts.
| Kingdom |
Animalia |
| Phylum |
Chordata |
| Class |
Mammalia |
| Order |
Artiodactyla |
| Family |
Suidae |
| Subfamily |
Suinae |
| Genus |
Sus |
| Scientific Name |
Sus sus |
Octopi
- The very intelligent octopus can find their way through mazes and solve issues in a short amount of time.
- Only the octopus makes our list of the world’s most intelligent creatures. You may wonder, as the lone member of its class, how smart is an octopus.
- Some captive octopi may harm items even outside their aquarium by continuously spraying water on them. They can even toss rocks at glass and open screw-on jars. These cephalopods are sneaky!
| Kingdom |
Animalia |
| Phylum |
Mollusca |
| Class |
Cephalopoda |
| Order |
Octopoda |
| Family |
Octopodidae |
| Genus |
Hapalochlaena |
| Scientific Name |
Hapalochlaena lunulata |
African Grey Parrot
- African grey parrots are not only extremely intelligent creatures, but they are also quite helpful!
- The African grey parrot is the most intellectual bird on this list. These parrots can not only learn human speech but also grasp an astonishing vocabulary (up to hundreds of words). African greys may also be taught the connections between bigger and smaller, different and alike, and over and beneath.
- The African grey parrot is a popular pet bird worldwide, yet they originate from the rainforests of central Africa. You may learn a lot about different parrot species here.
| Kingdom |
Animalia |
| Phylum |
Chordata |
| Class |
Aves |
| Order |
Psittaciformes |
| Family |
Psittacidae |
| Tribe |
Psittacini |
| Genus |
Psittacus |
| Species |
P. erithacus |
| Scientific Name |
Psittacus erithacus |
Elephants
- The very intelligent elephant is capable of imitating the sounds of other elephants as well as certain human phrases.
- Elephants have a long memory, but they are also one of the brightest creatures.
- Elephants have a complex social structure and have been observed attending funerals and mourning the loss of family members. Elephants also utilise tools and self-medicate by eating particular plant leaves to treat illnesses and even induce birth!
- They are also considered one of the rare animals that do good. Most animals lack the mental ability necessary for such activities. Elephants will self-sacrifice to save their herd or their young.
| Kingdom |
Animalia |
| Phylum |
Chordata |
| Class |
Mammalia |
| Order |
Proboscidea |
| Family |
Elephantidae |
| Genus |
Elephas |
| Species |
E. maximus |
| Scientific Name |
Elephas maximus |
Chimpanzees
- Chimpanzees are extremely intelligent creatures who are capable of solving a wide range of issues that are presented to them by human trainers and experimenters.
- On this list of the smartest animals, our closest genetic related comes in third. Chimpanzees are native to Sub-Saharan Africa and share 98% of their DNA with humans.
- They may improvise tools from available objects to manufacture what they require. These monkeys employ psychological tricks to get their family members to do things.
| Kingdom |
Animalia |
| Phylum |
Chordata |
| Class |
Mammalia |
| Order |
Primates |
| Suborder |
Haplorhini |
| Infraorder |
Simiiformes |
| Family |
Hominidae |
| Subfamily |
Homininae |
| Tribe |
Hominini |
| Genus |
Pan |
| Species |
P. troglodytes |
| Scientific Name |
Pan troglodytes |
Bottlenose Dolphins
- Researchers believe that the extremely intelligent bottlenose dolphins are self-aware, which would suggest that they have highly developed abstract reasoning abilities.
- The highly intelligent bottlenose dolphins are thought to be self-aware, indicating advanced abstract thinking.
- The bottlenose dolphin is placed second on this list. A dolphin’s IQ The bottlenose dolphin was the only one of the eight species included in this article.
- They are the only dolphin lacking fused cervical vertebrae, which permits them to perform those human-like head-nodding gestures. Aside from being readily trained, dolphins can identify themselves in mirrors, recognise images on television, and have amazing memory.
| Kingdom |
Animalia |
| Phylum |
Chordata |
| Class |
Mammalia |
| Order |
Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder |
Cetacea |
| Family |
Delphinidae |
| Subfamily |
Delphininae |
| Genus |
Tursiops |
| Scientific Name |
Tursiops truncatus |
Orangutans
- The Orangutans are extremely intelligent and will take their time to solve an issue!
- Orangutans are top on the list for a very good reason. Orangutans, like chimps, may use tools, acquire sign language, and have sophisticated social systems involving rituals. Their cognitive ability to grasp why action is undertaken puts them differently.
- When one orangutan was released into the wild, researchers saw him inventing tools from what he found and erecting a similar structure to shelter from the rain.
- Orangutans are clever because they share almost 97 percent of their DNA with humans. Their tool usage is superior to other animal species. Orangutans may be taught to use a hammer and nails and even a hose to syphon liquids. They are highly endangered in Indonesia owing to habitat loss.
| Kingdom |
Animalia |
| Phylum |
Chordata |
| Class |
Mammalia |
| Order |
Primates |
| Suborder |
Haplorhini |
| Infraorder |
Simiiformes |
| Family |
Hominidae |
| Subfamily |
Ponginae |
| Genus |
Pongo |
| Scientific Name |
Pongo pygmaeus |