“Is My Animal Smarter than Yours?”: Concerns in Comparing Animal Intelligence

Abstract

Animal intelligence emerges from the combination of skills and abilities that allow the individual to face and adapt to the challenges of their specific environments. This implies that the investigation and understanding of intelligence across animal species is a complex and environment-dependent process. Any judgement regarding the relative intelligence of a given species or direct comparisons are extremely difficult and need contextualisation. Here we present an historical overview of the field, from Charles Darwin to contemporary views, and provide examples of the link between animal intelligence, innovation and cognition. The most popular hypotheses on the evolution of animal intelligence are briefly presented and discussed. In addition, we propose to appreciate animal intelligence in the framework of an evolutionary, ecological and ethological perspective. Most common biases in measuring intelligence are also presented.