So much for “bird brains”! Crows are incredibly intelligent animals, and experts believe that they are the smartest of all the birds.

They can be taught to communicate, differentiate shapes, pick up objects and bring them to specific locations, and even use tools! In some places, crows are known to toss clams and other tough foods into the road so cars can do the tough work of cracking them open.

Now that’s smart thinking!

We’ve all heard the idiom that “an elephant never forgets,” but that fact is rooted in science! Elephants have amazing memories, form complex social structures, care for and love their young (and have funerals for their dead!), and so much more.

They have massive brains (in sheer size and scale) and even show signs of altruism and sacrifice – at least as we understand those concepts.

Ele[hants even know how to self-medicate with plants!

Chimps are some of the most famous “intelligent” animals around. Of course, we would say that since we have so much in common with them and humans and chimps share a relatively recent common ancestor.

But chimps can learn language, use tools, have complex social groups, and can use high-level thinking to solve problems and manipulate others. If you’ve ever spent time around a chimpanzee, you know how eerily human they seem just by looking in their eyes.

Fish don’t seem like very smart animals… so good thing dolphins aren’t fish!

These marine mammals have complex social structures, an incredible ability to solve problems, and can use tools to accomplish tasks. They can understand things on screens (even more so than chimps, in some cases) and even have metacognitive abilities, (essentially, an ability to understand THAT you are thinking).

This results in them being able to say “I don’t know” in some situations, a truly remarkable feat.

These red primates are super chill and are now considered to be the smartest of all primate species! They regularly use tools and even build complex objects.

One of the most famous “zoo breaks” involved an orangutan (named Ken) picking the lock of its cell and escaping.

This one may not make too much sense, but bear with us!

Ants have collective intelligence, not necessarily individual intelligence. (Humans could learn a thing or two from that!)

The cool thing we learn from ant intelligence is that even a creature that only has simple intelligence on its own can accomplish amazing feats when in a collective. Ants scout for food, organize attack and defense strategies, and can even delegate responsibility in their colonies.

Spiders are a bit scary to some of us, but did you know they can be smart, too? (Actually, that might make them even scarier.)

The Portia Labiata jumping spider is probably the smartest spider in the world, and potentially the smartest insect in the world. They can problem-solve, and their primary way of hunting is to lure other spiders out of their webs by imitating other insect patterns on their web.

They also seem to be able to identify objects and prey, something few insects can do, which indicates some cognitive skills that we don’t normally ascribe to creatures that small.

Ok, to be fair, our dogs probably aren’t as smart as some of us think they are. Then again, if you’ve met certain breeds, you may think they’re more beauty than brains.

Humans have been breeding dogs selectively for centuries, so it makes sense that we’d breed them to exhibit some level of intelligence. Still, we’ve found that dogs can think creatively (especially when they want something!), problem-solve, and assist humans with tasks.

They also seem to be capable of exhibiting nurturing behavior towards other species – as many of us know first-hand.

Pigeons may seem less-than-brilliant, especially when staring into their beady little eyes in a large city as you clutch your french fries closer.

But despite their looks, they are pretty intelligent. In fact, pigeons have been used for thousands of years as messengers, and have been trained to accomplish a variety of tasks.

They can also multi-task and understand multiple things at once to accomplish a group of tasks faster overall (which, frankly, is more than we can say for ourselves sometimes).

As a general rule, cephalopods are very, very smart. In fact, squid and octopuses are among the smartest creatures in the ocean, especially when you consider their neural development across their arms and skin. We didn’t know that until recently because their “brains” look nothing like ours (and humans assumed that intelligence in other creatures has to resemble our own).

Octopuses have displayed short and long-term memory, problem-solving, and have been seen using tools for protection and camouflage.

The creatures we so easily dismiss as “trash pandas” are sneaky little animals, better known for digging through garbage and leaving it strewn about our yards.

But if you look closer, they display both intelligence and cunning. Consider how easily they outsmart human traps and deterrents, for example.

They also form tight social groups that rely on one another (and will happily throw a very intimidating party in your dumpster).

Rodents in general are incredibly smart. Squirrels, in particular, are agile, quick-minded, and stubborn when it comes to getting what they want. They can even stage fake food-hiding rituals to throw off others, so they’re deceptive to boot – and that requires some form of intelligence.

Although trees are their natural habitat, they’ve managed to adapt to city life quite well. In fact, you may have spotted them in trees eating tasty human snacks that have been discarded while you’re on your way to your workday grind.

Rats are the second rodent on our list. People find them “gross,” but that’s usually because they hang out with the trash.

That doesn’t mean they aren’t intelligent, however. They can use their talents to accomplish some truly incredible tasks, such as completing mazes and puzzles (sometimes better than humans!).

They can even express emotions in some environments.

Believe it or not, pigs are some of the smartest domesticated animals on the planet – with far more capacity for intelligence than dogs.

They have complex social lives, can be trained to complete tasks, and display emotion much like a dog would. Of course, we don’t train them to do much, so most of us don’t know what they’re capable of.

Hearing an African grey parrot talk is one sure way to be surprised by its display of intelligence. Of course, that’s mimicry, to some extent.

Aside from speech, African grey parrots can learn how to count, understand the concept of quantity and abstract terms like “bigger,” “smaller,” and “different,” and respond to facial cues in humans.