It probably comes as no shock to OGP readers that a new evolutionary biology study out of the University of Adelaide is finding more and more evidence to support the belief that animals are just as smart as humans. Who can deny that their big goofy dog isn’t intelligent? Yeah, he might not be able to speak or build something, but he knows how to convey a message to you without words and he’s usually one of the first to notice something is wrong.

Dogs and other animals may not measure up to what humans define as great intelligence, but that certainly doesn’t mean they are not intelligent. We already know animals may have feelings like humans, so why wouldn’t they be just as smart in their own way?


Professor of Anthropology at the University of Adelaide, Maciej Henneberg, told the university paper, “Animals offer different kinds of intelligences which have been under-rated due to humans’ fixation on language and technology.”

Throughout history, philosophy and religion have reinforced a societal belief that humans are superior to all other creatures on Earth due to our intricately developed cities and culture. This superiority complex is what has led humans to enslave, aka domesticate, animals for centuries, using them for labor, food, transportation, and more. If we were the absolute superior intelligent species on Earth, shouldn’t we be able to protect all other creatures that live life in the dark beneath us?

Finally, the research is painting a different picture. Dr. Arthurs Saniotis, a visiting professor at Adelaide, tells the paper, “Science tells us that animals can have cognitive faculties that are superior to human beings.”

So, thousands of years of dogma that states humans are more superior and intelligent than fellow animals on this planet is actually wrong. Our own superiority complex has blinded us to the intelligence of animals throughout history and it is time we start thinking outside the box and using our “great” intelligence to develop empathy for the other creatures we share this beautiful Earth with.


It is only through understanding the way animals are different that we can appreciate and visualize their different types of intelligences. Who knows, maybe the animals of Earth, like apes, are more intelligent than us and are just luring us into a safe sense of security before taking over…”Planet of the Apes” anyone?

Image Source: Monsieur Gordan/Flickr

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