Redefining Intelligence

Intelligence as typically defined is centered around human capabilities, making it a measure that is in some sense 'rigged' in our favor from the start. There are other kinds of intelligence exhibited by other species which we often overlook.

The anthropomorphism or "humanization" of other species and their intelligence is a major barrier to understanding non-human experiences. While it may be tempting to compare what we know about other animals to our lives and faculties as humans, it's important to try decentering our perspective when understanding other species. Our purpose is to showcase other, nonhuman forms of intelligence. Below, you will find games, quizzes and interactive roleplay scenarios that illustrate the intelligence of different species.

Cleaner Wrasse Fish▼

Cookie Game▼

Are you smarter than a cleaner wrasse?

Try to eat as many cookies as you can in 10 rounds!

Round: 1/10 | Score: 0

Complete all 10 rounds to find out how this intelligence test works

Social Cognition▼

Cleaner wrasse fish can recognize individual client fish, remember their interactions with them, and adjust their behavior based on the client's species and status. Since scales, skin and other live fish tissue are more nutritious than the parasites they are "hired" to remove from their clients, cleaner wrasses will sometimes cheat by taking a small bite out of the fish they are cleaning. In order to decide whether or not they can get away with this, cleaner wrasses can remember up to 100 individual clients, and whether or not their last experience at the cleaning station was positive or negative.

Strategic Decision Making▼

The fish mentally group their clients into one of 3 categories: dangerous predators, transient "floater" fish that travel across the reef and have several cleaning stations to choose from, and small resident fish. Wrasses will almost never bite the predators (lest they get eaten!) or the visiting customers (so they come back for their next cleaning). In fact, if the wrasse gave the client bad service during their last cleaning, they will "apologize" by giving them a fin massage. Small resident fish get the worst service by far. Since they live in the area, they're guaranteed to keep coming back to the cleaning station, so the wrasse doesn't have to give them special treatment to keep their business. As a result, cleaner wrasses are far more likely to bite the small residents and often keep them waiting while a higher-priority client gets their cleaning.

Cleaning Station Roleplay▼

Cleaner Wrasse Roleplay

Experience life as a cleaner wrasse fish at a cleaning station. Interact with various client fish species and navigate the complex social dynamics of the reef.

Welcome to the coral reef! You are a cleaner wrasse fish operating your own cleaning station. As a cleaner wrasse, you have the remarkable ability to remove parasites, dead skin, and other debris from larger "client" fish. This symbiotic relationship benefits both parties - you get a meal, and they get cleaned! However, life as a cleaner wrasse is complex. You must: - Decide which clients to prioritize (some are regulars, others are predators) - Choose whether to clean honestly or cheat by taking a bite of healthy tissue - Navigate complex social dynamics with other fish species - Build a reputation that attracts more clients Your first client of the day is approaching - a large grouper with parasites visible on its gills. What do you do?

Goby Fish▼

Spatial Memory▼

In their natural environment, fish need to remember the locations of various features like hiding spots, feeding areas, and safe passages.

Goby fish, in particular, show exceptional ability to memorize landmarks and the topography of their environment, so much so that they can make blind jumps to other nearby pools after the tide goes out.

Fish Jump Memory Game

Press Start to begin! Memorize the puddle locations.

Campbell's Monkey▼

Social Learning▼

Much like how baby humans learn to speak, baby monkeys learn their calls by listening to and imitating other members of their group.

Threat Assessment▼

Campbell's monkeys react differently to different kinds of threats and use different calls to warn other members of their group. Campbell's monkey calls are actually quite complex. They have a repertoire of at least six calls, and they can be combined into sequences to fit different contexts. Linguists have compared the vocal communication system of Campbell's monkeys to a "grammar" of sorts. While it's important to remember not to anthropomorphize, the complexity of the monkeys' call system is impressive!

Complex Communication▼

Campbell's Monkey Alert Calls

Practice speaking Campbell's monkey. Use the correct call to react to disturbances in the jungle and warn your fellow monkeys of approaching threats.

Welcome to the jungle! You are a male Campbell's monkey hanging out in the canopy with the rest of your social group. Male Campbell's monkey have an impressive repertoire of alarm calls, each used to alert others of different threats or disturbances. Here are the calls and their translations: - Hok: An eagle - one of your main predators - was spotted. - Hok-oo: A more generalized alarm call that can be used to signal eagles, neighbouring groups of monkeys, and sometimes flying squirrels - Krak: Oh no! A leopard was spotted! - Krak-oo: A general alert call that can be used to signal almost any disturbance. - Wak-oo: This call is similar to hok-oo, but it isn't use to signal neighbouring groups of monkeys. - Boom: This call is used in non-predatory contexts. The monkeys use it to signal things like falling trees, to start or stop group travel, during fights with neighbouring monkey groups and in other situations that involve vocal excitement. You're relaxing in the canopy when you see the shadow of an eagle overhead. What do you do?

Campbell's monkeys demonstrate remarkable linguistic abilities through their sophisticated alarm call system. They use a combination of basic calls and modifiers to create different meanings, showing evidence of primitive syntax in non-human communication.

Their calls exhibit properties similar to human language, including compositionality (combining elements to create new meanings) and reference (specific calls for specific threats). This suggests a level of cognitive sophistication previously underappreciated in non-human primates.

Octopus▼

Problem Solving▼

Quiz: Test your knowledge about octopus problem-solving abilities

Tool Usage▼

They use coconut shells as shelter, manipulate objects as tools, and can even use water jets to move items at a distance.

Adaptive Learning▼

Octopi can quickly adapt to new environments, learn from their mistakes, and modify their behavior based on past experiences.

Corvid▼

Tool Creation▼

Crows craft and modify tools, bending wire into hooks and adapting natural objects to solve specific problems.

Social Intelligence▼

They recognize human faces, hold grudges, and pass information about dangerous individuals to their offspring.

Abstract Thinking▼

Ravens demonstrate planning abilities, understand cause-and-effect relationships, and show signs of metacognition.

Elephant▼

Emotional Intelligence▼

Elephants display complex emotions, comfort distressed companions, and show signs of grief when mourning their dead.

Social Memory▼

They can remember and recognize hundreds of individuals over decades, maintaining complex social networks.

Self-Awareness▼

Elephants can recognize themselves in mirrors, understand their body as their own, and show awareness of their physical presence.