Researchers have found out that animals that are very smart are in the same measure very mischievous. This was reached by a study that was published in the Journal of Animal Behavior which is on the cognition of ‘nuisance’ species of animals. It sought to find out whether animals that are considered as very smart can be taught to live with humans. As found, they can be taught, but that will not be without its own problems because they are going to constantly be in conflict with humans, probably as they also want their rights to be fully respected.
Taking a look at different animals, while there are some that would mind their own business such as crows and others that are only interested in finding food for themselves except for littering the environment, there are others like elephants that are simply destructive as they will seek to destroy amenities. For example, Elephants are known for bringing down electric poles.
With animals that are less smart, they would try as much as possible to stay away out of the ways of humans as much as possible as such the damage they would be willing to cause may be very little compared to their other folks.
Apart from those that can live with humans, here are some animals that are among the smartest in the kingdom and at the same time, some can be unapologetically mischievous.
Smart and Mischievous Animals
1. Raccoons
If you love raccoons for their cute looks, you will even love them more for their smartness, which can at the same time be very detrimental to those staying close to them. These very intelligent animals have a population that is fast growing and because of that, they have developed to be very smart in order to survive the urban world and the many obstacles that are set by humans.
Thanks to their smartness, they are able to pick locks even those that are very complex. What is more is that they also have a very good memory to a point that even after three years, raccoons will be able to solve a particular problem.
Generally speaking, it is believed that raccoons are even smarter than toddlers, and it is believed that they almost have human-like reasoning.
2. Chimps
Of course, you will generally expect that our close cousins in the primate family, Chimps, are also among the smart and mischievous animals. That will definitely make a lot of sense if you consider the fact that their genomes and ours is as much as 98% identical. Just as humans, they use are capable of using tools, hunting, and fashioning out ways of solving problems.
What is even more than that is they have shown to display emotions and be empathetic while also being violent when it calls for. As regards memory, chimps are found to be even better than humans.
3. Crows
Looking at the size of a crow, you will never have thought that it has a brain that is as large as the human thumb. However, beyond the size, it is highly intelligent to even solve problems that may seem too complex for it at first sight.
Apart from their ability to recognize faces, crows are smart enough to avoid paths that they consider dangerous even after a whole season. Because of this, they can change the pattern of their movement so as to avoid places where they have been killed before. More so, they can memorize places that they can get food. One more thing to know and remember about crow is that it doesn’t forgive your sins neither does it have a business forgetting.
4. Elephants
Normally, the size of the elephant is the thing that attracts all the attention. Nonetheless, it is also a very smart creature that apart from being the largest mammal on earth, also never forgets. With a live span of up to 60 years, an elephant can remember things that have happened in decades including faces.
Because they walk in groups, elephants can identify any that is not a part of them either by just sighting them or by smelling their urine. Even when in a massive group, these giant creatures can track all members of their group.
5. Pigs
There is no way that you can talk about smart and mischievous animals without talking about pigs which by the way, contrary to what you may have come to believe, are among the neatest animals. Just like dogs, pigs also understand human emotions. If you have ever had a reason to run after a pig in an attempt to catch it, you will realize how fast it thinks and how it is able to solve complex mazes.
See Also: 10 Animals With Worst Mating Rituals: Thank God You Are Human
As pointed out, they are very clean, but their problem lies in the fact that they don’t have sweat glands and so to stay cool, they have found a way of using mud to cover themselves.
6. Octopus
With a brain that is larger than what you can get with any vertebrate, Octopus is yet another animal that is extremely smart even though it doesn’t have a very long lifespan. The intelligence of the animal is thanks to the over 130 million neurons that it has linked to its brain, but with even more linked to its arms in such a way that each arm has its own mind. If that is not crazy enough, let me add that when its arm is cut off, another one regrows.
Another good thing with octopuses is that they are able to get themselves out of danger easily and get out of traps. This makes them hard to beat as preys, even as they are very good as hunters.
7. Dogs
Do we need to talk about how man’s best friend is also among the very smart and mischievous animals? While you can have a bond with it and it will be friendly, a dog can also be very destructive if it chooses to. Dogs have been trained to do a lot of things including leading and guiding the blind. More so, a dog can know emotions and once it develops a bond with humans, it can maintain such friendship over a lifetime.
8. Dolphins
It has been stated that dolphins are the second smartest animals on earth as compared to their size, they have a very large brain. More so, they have the capacity to show great emotions and at the same time, they are good when it comes to mimicking. Interestingly, if any member of their family gets sick or injured, they tend to it. As science has revealed, dolphins give names to themselves.
While they are among the smartest animals, we will not have them among the mischievous because they are friendly to both other animals and humans.
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