Understanding Animals' Intelligence and Capabilities

Animals have such an important role in the world; without animals humans would not be able to survive. If one type of species becomes extinct, it would affect one link in the food chain. Humans underestimate animal intelligence, their capabilities, and their importance. Evolution has changed how humans and animals interact with each other.

Charles Darwin brought the idea of evolution to the world and the theory survival of the fittest, and recognized animal consciousness (Page, 9). He looked at some positions as the scientist that "lowered" mankind, and put mankind at the level of animals, but is judged by the possibility of raising the importance of animals. Darwin had motives for defending animal consciousness, when put in certain situations human characteristics are compared to that of animals (Page, 11). In Origin of Species, Darwin wrote that "the various and faculties, such as love, memory, attention and curiosity, imitation, reason, etc which man boasts, maybe found in the lower animals" (Page, 17).

Charles Darwin, photographed by Julia Margaret Cam...

English: "A Venerable Orang-outang", a caricature ...

Kaspar Hauser

Darwin's other theory, survival of the fittest states the strongest animals survive and the weak ones will die or become extinct (Page, 18). Animals express many characteristics and abilities that humans have like behavior, strategic thinking and learning, and emotions (Page, 21).

Survival is important to animals just like humans. They use many different techniques to survive such as when an otter finds a mussel to eat, he floats on his back in the water while cracking the mussel apart to eat (Scott 161). Woodpeckers climb up and down trees looking for food, and when it comes to the hole where insects may be, they peck at it until they can get to the insect and eat it (Scott 164). Spiders design many different webs, varying in size and shape, to catch their prey and squirrels hide their...