The Bear's Key Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 It's probably going to happen. Sometime in the future, peope will likely use advances in genetics and biochemistry to enhance the intelligence of animals. These can form a new kind of intelligent species for us to communicate with. But also the overly fanatic might claim we've been granted rightful dominion over those animals to do as we please, triggering debates on enslavement. We often make the final progress in such debates, but the real kicker is when people begin using the advances to place their own consciousness directly into animals -- whether it's a brain transplant and/or some kind of digitally-enabled transfer. Will the person still have rights in animal form? However, that's just an exercise for our imagination and really not the purpose of the thread. What I'm actually looking for is a collection of pretty smart animals, on video hoepfully, doing things we normally associate as being possible only for humans to do. Take a look at the skateboarding dog (who can also do lots more) in the following two vids. And post your own findings of smart animals doing human things very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrburns2012 Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Cool video! Evolution couldn't have possibly foreseen that coming Here's an old but good one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS9atz-pRns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDNA Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Squirrels are already smarter than (many) humans....... Cunning squirrels make bogus burials of 'nuts and seeds' to fool onlookers By DAVID DERBYSHIRE Last updated at 23:33 16 January 2008 Crafty customer: Squirrels have learnt to protect their food Their quick intelligence, razor-sharp memory and ruthless cunning have made them a foe of gardeners everywhere. Now it turns out that grey squirrels are even more devious than anyone realised. To protect their winter food stocks from potential thieves, they put on an elaborate show of burying non-existent nuts and seeds, a study has shown. Scientists say the fake burials are designed to confuse any rival squirrels, birds or humans who might be watching. The level of deception has astonished animal experts who say it shows a rare form of animal cunning and intelligence. Squirrels are great hoarders and bury or hide spare morsels of food in the autumn for the lean winter months. Dr Michael Steele, of Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, has found that they are also capable of elaborate deception, New Scientist reports. He found that a fifth of all so-called food burials are fake - and the proportion goes up if they think they are being watched. "To our knowledge, this is the first study to show evidence of behavioural deception by a rodent, and the first to use an experimental approach to studying deceptive behaviour in in the wild," he says. The squirrels go to elaborate lengths to keep up the pretence of hiding food. Once they have dug a small hole in a flower bed, woodland floor or lawn, they act as if they are thrusting a small object into the gap. They complete the deception by covering the fake cache of food with a layer of soil or leaves. The incidence of fake burials goes up when they think their food is under threat. Dr Steele recruited a group of undergraduates to follow the squirrels and find out where they were burying food. The number of bogus interments shot up as soon as the human volunteers began to raid the food stocks - suggesting that the creatures were becoming even more deceptive as a reaction to the raids. He believes that the bizarre behaviour suggests a far more advanced thought process for grey squirrels than scientist previously thought. But experts are divided on whether the latest research means they are capable of reason or whether they simply get into routines which work for them. Dr Lisa Leaver at the University of Exeter said: "They may just have learned through trial and error that certain behaviours protect their food from theft." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-508696/Cunning-squirrels-make-bogus-burials-nuts-seeds-fool-onlookers.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Skeptic Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Squirrels are already smarter than (many) humans....... What do you mean, save money (nuts) for lean times? Why not buy everything on credit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomgwyther Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Excellent skateboarding dog! I suppose a dog is better equipped to use a skateboard than a human, as it has four legs with which to control it's balance and weight-shift. Coupled with having evolved a brain to use four legs to best advantage. A great example of intelligent animals comes from monkeys. Whilst filming a documentary on monkeys in the wild; John Cleese (Of monty python fame) noticed that the alpha male monkey - whom would lead the pack through the jungle in single file - had a distinct limp. One of the other monkeys further down the line (an of lower rank) would imitate the limp of the older, more senior monkey. At first this was though of as 'monkey social climbing'. Except, when the head alpha monkey turned around to check on the others, the monkey with the fake limp would stop, walk normally, and only continue the fake limp if the alpha male couldn't see him, but so as his other lower-ranking peers could. It would appear that... "Here is an animal which has the ability to 'poke fun' at his superiors; a sarcastic monkey. It has evolved to 'take the piss!' ". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDNA Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 What do you mean, save money (nuts) for lean times? Why not buy everything on credit? Squirrels are a lot smarter than me. They bury their nuts and can always find them. I invested my money and I have no idea where it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNow Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 The intelligence of crows made for a great TED talk: They're damn smart, those crows are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDNA Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 For the record, I would like to state that squirrels have the added benefit that they are much tastier than crows. I'm not certain, nor do I care to find out, about the taste of dogs or monkeys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkepticLance Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 David Attenborough said that New Zealand's meat eating mountain parrot, the kea, was the most intelligent of all birds. Check this and see if you agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDNA Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 (edited) Thanks to advances in genetic engineering, some genetically altered lab mice are now geniuses, others are insane, and they will some day rule the entire planet together....perhaps even the entire galaxy. There is even a reality show and a song that documents their trails and tribulations. ... One is a genius, the other's insane They're laboratory mice Their genes have been spliced They're dinky They're Pinky and the Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain Before each night is done Their plan will be unfurled By the dawning of the sun They'll take over the world They're Pinky and the Brain Yes, Pinky and the Brain Their twilight campaign Is easy to explain To prove their mousey worth They'll overthrow the Earth They're dinky. They're Pinky and the Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain,....... Edited February 10, 2009 by DrDNA 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear's Key Posted November 4, 2009 Author Share Posted November 4, 2009 Dogs Cats . . Also here's an extra that doesn't qualify as smart, but what they're doing is generally viewed in a human light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear's Key Posted June 21, 2010 Author Share Posted June 21, 2010 The escape You giving me the bird? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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