Dutch primatologist Frans de Waal is one of many scientists rethinking the way we think about animals thinking.
Gus Lubin at Business Insider asks what’s the smartest species in the world? “You might think it’s humans by a long shot,” he continues, “but the reality is a lot more complicated.”
I’m guessing that a lot of you reading this wouldn’t agree with Lubin’s suggested answer – I know I certainly don’t think humans are the smartest, let alone by a long shot.
As I wrote when talking about the supernatural intelligence of octopuses: “We humans think we’re so fancy with our opposable thumbs and capacity for complex thought. But imagine life as an octopus … camera-like eyes, camouflage tricks worthy of Harry Potter, and not two but eight arms – that happen to be decked out with suckers that possess the sense of taste. And not only that, but those arms? They can execute cognitive tasks even when dismembered.”