Nicholas Vincent is a passionate environmentalist and freelance writer. He is deeply committed to promoting... Nicholas Vincent is a passionate environmentalist and freelance writer. He is deeply committed to promoting sustainability and finding solutions to the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. In his free time, Nicholas enjoys the great outdoors and can often be found exploring some of the most beautiful and remote locations around the world. Read more about Nicholas Vincent Read More
Did you know that bees can count and do math? Surprising, right? A study showed that these tiny creatures can add and subtract colored shapes, something that took humans thousands of years to learn. This brings up a fascinating question: Are animals actually smarter than humans? Renowned conservationist Jane Goodall recently weighed in on this subject in response to a question posed by a curious 10-year-old named Ronan.
Ronan asked if animals could be smarter than humans, considering that bees can count and do math. He wondered if their bodies, rather than their minds, were the only limitations. Jane Goodall’s response opened up a world of possibilities.
She began by explaining that one of the attributes of intelligence is the ability to think and solve problems. In the early 1960s, people believed that only humans possessed language, culture, and the ability to use tools. However, more and more research has proven that animals are excellent problem solvers, with many using tools and showing cultural differences.
Some scientists even believe that whales and dolphins may use an actual language! Another attribute of intelligence is the ability to remember the past. Many animals have long memories, such as a chimp who remembered a human after 11 years. Adaptation is another sign of intelligence; for example, animals foraging at night when the sun is down and the weather is cooler.
While humans have achieved great feats like building boats, cars, airplanes, and even walking on the moon, we are also responsible for damaging the planet through Climate change and negatively impacting biodiversity.
So, what can we learn from this? Animals are incredibly intelligent, and they have much to teach us. It’s essential that we respect and protect them, learn from their ways of living harmoniously with nature, and work together to preserve our planet.
As you continue on your sustainability journey, let’s remember the wisdom of these amazing creatures and do our part to make a positive difference. In the words of Jane Goodall, “Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.” Now, let’s get out there and make a change for the better!
Ahisma Sweatshirt By Tiny Rescue: Animal Collection
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FROM “Beyond Words – What Animals Think and Feel” by Carl Safina:On the summit of Mount Kilauea, in Hawaii, I’ve seen offerings of money and liquor, put there by people who think that volcanoes have a god within who watches, tallies favors, and sometimes acts vindictively. Don’t get the volcano mad by ignoring it.Other animals are exceptionally good at identifying and reacting to predators, rivals, and friends. They never act as if they believe that rivers or trees are inhabited by spirits who are watching. In all these ways other animals continually demonstrate their working knowledge that they live in a world brimming with other minds, as well as their knowledge of those minds’ boundaries. Their understanding seems more acute, pragmatic, and frankly, better than ours at distinguishing real from fake.So I wonder: Do humans really have a better-developed theory of mind than other animals?…Humans’ “superior” theory of mind is in part pathology. The oft-repeated line “Humans are rational beings” is probably our most half-true assertion about ourselves. There is in nature an overriding sanity and often, in humankind, an undermining insanity. We, among all animals, are most frequently irrational, distortional, delusional, worried. [O]ther animals don’t need to manipulate logic because their actions are logical.