Studies Demonstrate Animal Thinking Abilities

The question of whether or not animals can think critically has long since been answered, but new research is exploring just how deeply certain creatures can take their thought processes. In recent trials, both apes and monkeys have shown traits that would formerly have been described as uniquely human, such as hiding stones in haystacks for later use, showing foresight, or scoring better on memory examinations than the doctors who administered the tests. According to Emory University primatologist Frans de Waal, there is a trend of discovering intelligent behavior in chimps, proving that the behavior is not unique to humans, and then finding the same mannerisms in other species such as dogs and dolphins.