Clips
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Sheepdogs in Wales recreate Einstein's famous equation Duration: 01:59 Episode 2
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Animal Einstein Duration: 03:56 Episode 1
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Chimp genius Duration: 02:16 Episode 1
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Clever collie knows over a thousand words Duration: 02:15 Episode 2
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Brainy baiting Duration: 02:34 Episode 2
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Super Smart Animals Duration: 04:29
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For centuries, the idea of intelligent animals struck most people as ridiculous.
But not any more - the latest science reveals that animals are a lot smarter than we thought.
In the first of two programmes we see skateboarding dogs, chimp math geniuses and Liz Bonnin embarking on a worldwide search for the planet's most intelligent animals. Devising some ingenious IQ puzzles, Liz even puts herself to the test to find out.
Liz gets creative with dolphins, shares a eureka moment with orangu-tans and defends the reputation of the human race when she goes head to head with a chimp genius in a test of maths and memory. There is an octopus escapologist, John Humphries puts a goldfish through its paces on Mastermind and Tillman the skateboarding dog wows crowds in Los Angeles. -
Tillman the skateboarding dog
In programme two Liz meets grey whales with emotions much like our own, unravels how the Caribbean's cleverest monkeys outwit their human neighbours, and even has a conversation with the world's cleverest chimp - with some surprising consequences.
Explore how Seattle's crows can hold grudges for years, discover that the cleverest dogs can learn over 1,000 words, and find out why Asian elephants can spend hours looking at themselves in giant mirrors.
Then there is meerkat school, eye-poking capuchin armies, and even a new version of Einstein's infamous equation written by a sheepdog.
Prepare to be amazed, entertained, and even outwitted by the world's Super Smart Animals. -
BBC Nature: Ape versus machine
A chimp genius can complete a computer memory test in less time than it takes the average person to blink - and much faster than any human rival.
Read the news story
