6 Octopuses learn through observation, complex thought processes, and personalities. Paul was the octopus that predicted correct outcomes for the Fifa World Cup 2010. There was a success rate of 85.7% in its predictions. The Google “doodle” featured Paul. 

Octopuses use tricks for sensing enemies and have the ability to change shapes for avoiding predators. They can navigate themselves through mazes from studies conducted. These animals are good problem solvers and have the ability to remember things for a short term. 

Octopuses can play and have fun. Playing is an intelligent animal trait. Two octopuses were put in a tank together. It had a floating pill bottle as a part of an experiment. One octopus blew a jet of water towards the other one. The other one copied the activity. They continued doing that over 20 times. This looked similar to humans playing. 

Clams and mussels are hard to open in general for octopuses. Octopuses chose to open mussels first as they are easier to open. When given only clams, they used their beak-like structure in their body to inject poison to weaken the clam. Using their salivary papilla, they could drill a hole in them to inject them. When difficulty levels increase, the approaches also change drastically.

Octopuses were studied for their response to alerting, feeding, and threatening. The test was to understand their activity, avoidance, and reactivity. The testing of their personality traits was another extent the scientists went to understand how quick they are to react to such exposures. (source)

7 Vulpes fulva are legendary smart and cunning animals. An experiment done by a fox rescue organization was to leave slices of bread in the ground. The fox stacked all the pieces and took it all away just like we do. 

The Vulpes fulva, or commonly known as the “American red fox.” are solitary hunters with resourcefulness, and they have a legendary reputation for as one of the most intelligent animals. 

American red foxes can adapt well to any environment and switch diets according to the availability of food in the surroundings. 

They are resourceful, cunning in nature, and extremely intelligent. Red foxes have the ability to find food even in extreme weather conditions which makes them one of the smarter animals. (source)

8 The eastern gray squirrel in an experiment was challenged to solve a puzzle. It was to open a plastic flap to get food. The strategy they followed caught the interest of the researchers. They then ended up giving more complex puzzles which the squirrels tackled easily but with multiple attempts. 

On the list of extremely intelligent animals squirrels, especially in North America, always are near the top. Studies say they are more intelligent than fifth-grader. 

Gray squirrels are better problem solvers than their red counterparts. 

Over time, the population of red squirrels has dwindled as gray squirrels have outsmarted them. During the experiment, gray squirrels solved problems faster than red squirrels and tried again several times when their attempts failed.

Red squirrels, on the other hand, took more time in solving, and they also made fewer attempts to solve the challenges. Over time, gray squirrels found nutritious food and increased their population. (source)

9 Dolphins are only second to humans in terms of smartness. It was found that a group of dolphins in Florida practices their developed method of hunting fish. One dolphin kicks up mud. That dolphin is named a “net-maker.” Another signals a bunch of other dolphins. They then all come together and hunt fish in that designated area. 

Dolphins are the most intelligent animals in the world after humans. They have better learning capabilities from their surroundings. The IQ of a dolphin is 1.67 which is higher than dogs. 

They have complex brains that help in echolocation to communicate and navigate. Group formation and hunting require a great deal of planning and cooperation. As animals with a brain size that is only second to human beings, dolphins also can perform language comprehension. (source)

10 Great apes were given several crossed strings with food at the end. They had to decide and pull the right string to get food. In several cases, the animal pulled the right string. It helped researchers with their data collection and analysis of their behaviors. 

Great apes are one of the most intelligent animals after humans on this planet. They defend themselves from enemies by using tools. These animals can learn words and point out individuals.  

They also have the capability to “talk” about the past. The animal displayed the ability to discuss things that are not present at the time. This characteristic is called “displaced reference.” Researchers of the University of St. Andrews found that something which we believed is unique for humans is also possible for apes. 

Fake predators were sent to a bunch of seven orangutan mothers as a part of an experiment to trick them into believing they are going to be attacked. People covered in spotted patterns and tiger stripes were out to scare them. The simulations of this experiment were carried out 24 times. In 12 instances, the mothers shouted out warnings to their babies.

They waited almost seven minutes before they shouted to check if the predators were still lurking around. Those shouted were not in the close vicinity of the predators. The ones nearby kept quiet and immediately sprung into action to get their babies to safety. (source)