Nature

Animal Intelligence

By khurrum1 ⋅ July 3, 2006 ⋅ ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

Did you know that pigeons can categorize images in photographs as quickly as humans can? Not much is known about animal intelligence because for hundreds/thousands of years humans arrogantly, and with out evidence, established that all animals are just stupid machines. Now, new evidence suggests that that belief can’t be further from the truth.

There is evidence that states that animals can think in abstract terms, they can apply abilities learned in previous attempts of solving problems, they have their own languages, and even a sense of humor.

Gentner found that whole clauses could be inserted into starling songs to create new and “grammatically correct” meanings. For humans, this would be like transforming the phrase “the bird sang” into “the bird the cat chased sang.”

Whales and dolphins appear to share similar abilities. And like some birds, dolphins appear to name themselves.

Some animals may even be “bilingual,” since birds appear to decipher the sophisticated vocalizations of ground squirrels.

“As humans, we suffer from cognitive myopia,” Gentner told Discovery News. “We understand things from our point of view. Animals are noteworthy and miraculous, not just because they share traits with us, but because they are special and impressive in their own right.”

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