Information About Animal Thinking & Reasoning

Animal thinking and reasoning has always been a controversial topic because it is hard to prove. Darwin thought that animals, like humans, need to find mates, food and a path through its environment such as the woods, air or water. He believed it took problem-solving skills to accomplish these tasks. Chimpanzees, dolphins, birds, and dogs have all been studied, and testing shows that animals have the ability to think and reason. Future studies on animals may come from MRI or Pet Scans. Brain pattern studies may predict with more certainty the ability to think and reason.

  1. Chimpanzees

    • The observation of primates has shown that they have the ability to use a variety of tools to search for termite mounds and to make weapons to kill small animals. Chimpanzees were observed in their natural habitat strategizing with other chimpanzees in order to seek out prey. Apes also have the capability of learning and using sign language and symbols to communicate.

    Dolphins

    • Bottlenose dolphins have large brains, second only to humans. Researchers have compared the brains of primates and dolphins and found parallels in intelligence. Dolphins appear to have complex communication skills. There has been extensive research on dolphins and their ability to imitate human postures. When dolphins were given a choice of two possible responses they showed hesitation when unsure. If the dolphin was sure of the response it immediately went straight to that choice. Hesitation showed researchers reasoning skills.

    Birds

    • Birds vary greatly in intelligence. Parrots have the ability to talk and imitate words. They also have the capability of distinguishing color, shapes, size and materials. Parrots have shown signs of aloofness and depression. According to the March 2008 "National Geographic," scrub jays know that other jays will steal and that stored food spoils.

    Dogs

    • Dogs are able to understand many forms of communication such as hand signals, verbal commands and facial expressions. Many breeds are trained as therapy dogs due to the ability to sense the needs of humans. Some are able to foresee when a seizure is coming in some people and react with an alert. Pet owners could site numerous examples of dog thinking such as opening a door, saving a drowning child and waking a family in a fire.