Phil is an Editor at LittleThings. He loves writing and the outdoors. You can often find him at the movies or the park.

Any animal lover knows that animals can be surprisingly, and impressively, intelligent.

I love reading stories and watching videos of animals in the news showing off just how advanced their minds are, like this grizzly bear who recognized a hidden camera.


One of the most clever animals in nature is the dolphin. According to Discovery News, dolphins are now believed to be the second most intelligent animal in the world, after humans. And when I saw what this one brilliant and clever dolphin had figured out, I had to know more.

At the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Mississippi, a dolphin named Kelly has shown astounding signs of intelligence. Her trainers taught her and the other dolphins to help collect trash out of their pool to help keep it clean.


For each piece of garbage they’d bring to a trainer, they’d receive a fish as a reward.

What Kelly figured out had me laughing out loud, but it also means she may just be smarter than the humans who have been trying to teach her.

These photos below show dolphins just like Kelly. Scroll through to see just how brilliant Kelly and these dolphins can be!

h/t Guardian/Discovery News