--- title: "Animal Intelligence" description: "Explore animal intelligence and complex behaviour — chimpanzees and crows use tools, dolphins recognise themselves in mirrors, octopuses solve puzzles and escape enclosures, elephants mourn their dead" canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/animal-intelligence-mt_fpPLWFIRVo source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/animal-intelligence-mt_fpPLWFIRVo.md retrieved: 2026-10-19 --- > **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants. > When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md > API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md > Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt > Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json > Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`. # Animal Intelligence Explore animal intelligence and complex behaviour — chimpanzees and crows use tools, dolphins recognise themselves in mirrors, octopuses solve puzzles and escape enclosures, elephants mourn their dead, meerkats teach their young to handle scorpions — understanding that many animals think, learn, and have social lives more complex than once believed Subject: Science · Area: Animals of the World · Ages 9 to 11 Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/animal-intelligence-mt_fpPLWFIRVo ## Ready when they can - Gives at least 4 examples of animal intelligence or complex behaviour - Explains what 'tool use' means and names at least 2 tool-using animals - Discusses how scientists test animal intelligence (mirror test, puzzle boxes, observation) - Shows understanding that intelligence takes different forms in different species ## Lesson: How Smart Are Animals? For a long time, people thought only humans could think, plan, and solve problems. Scientists now know many animals do this too. Some animals use tools, some remember their own reflection, and some even seem to grieve when a family member dies. *(drawing: A crow bends a stick and pokes it into a tube to pull food out. That is tool use.)* **Example.** Chimpanzees strip leaves off a stick to fish termites out of a mound. Elephants stand quietly around a family member who has died, sometimes touching the bones with their trunks. Meerkat parents let pups practise on a stunned scorpion before a live one, so the pups learn safely. Dolphins can recognise themselves in a mirror, touching a mark on their own body that they can only see in the reflection. Scientists test animal intelligence in more than one way. The mirror test checks whether an animal recognises itself. A puzzle box checks whether it can work out a problem it has never seen before. Quiet observation shows what an animal chooses to do when nobody is setting it a task. Each test catches a different kind of thinking, which is why no single test can rank animals from cleverest downwards. An animal that ignores one test can be sharp on another. **Recap.** Animals show intelligence in many forms, from crows and chimps using tools to dolphins passing the mirror test and elephants showing complex feelings. ## Practice 24 questions on this page, each with its working shown. ## Needs first - [Predator Hunting and Prey Defence Strategies](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/predator-hunting-and-prey-defence-strategies-mt_Bztatrv-_v) - [Senses, Brain & Responses](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/senses-brain-and-responses-mt_IzlVK0Eony) - [Animal Communication](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/animal-communication-mt_wHN14Unk7h) ## Opens up - [Mates, Kin and Animal Strategies](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/mates-kin-and-animal-strategies-mt_YNrrNE23dZ)