The smartest animals on the planet
(Book)

Using tools. Woodpecker finches probe with sticks ; New Caledonian crows hook a treat ; Captive crows show talent for tool use ; Sea otters hammer their way to a meal ; Sea sponges provide padded protection ; Naked mole-rats protect their assets ; Why elephants use switches ; The wild chimp's toolkit ; Use of spears by wild chimpanzees ; Sumatrans get to grips with tools ; Wild gorillas stun researchers ; Wild capuchins adapt tool use to suit their environment ; Innovations with tools in captive capuchins ; Tool use in captive chimps

Communication. Dance language of honeybees ; Ground squirrels look out for their own ; Wild vervet monkey "smart" alarms ; Baboons : kings of expression ; Diana monkeys spread the news ; Wild chimpanzees : masters of communication ; Signature whistles in dolphins ; Whales can really carry a tune ; Can elephants hear through their feet?

Imitation and social learning. Monkey see, monkey do? ; Jungle copy cats ; Birdbrained is best ; The great ape debate ; Ape culture?

Mirror self-recognition. Chimps use mirrors like we do

to see how they look ; Dolphins give themselves admiring glances ; It's rude to stare

gorillas don't give mirrors a second glance ; Elephants get the idea

with a very big mirror ; I spy with my magpie eye

clever birds see themselves

Numerical abilities. The case of "Clever Hans" ; You can count on an ant to find its way home ; Lions show roar talent ; Birds : the number crunchers ; Rats that can count ; Salamanders prefer more ; Young chimps learn to count

Animal language studies. How a chimp learned sign language ; Chimps and humans : do two great brains think alike? ; Ask a dolphin and you'll get the right answer ; Koko, the only gorilla to learn sign language ; Is he smart, or just parrotting what he's heard? ; A chimpanzee and her son keep their answers in order ; Man's best friend knows what he's talking about ; An orangutan learns to sign ; Rocky, the sea lion with a logical approach

Cooperation and altruism. "I'll scratch your back now, if you'll scratch my back later" ; Chimps "kiss and make up" after a fight ; Yawn and the world yawns with you

empathetic responses ; A dog's dinner is a shared affair ; Working together

is it teamwork or just a bunch of animals? ; Monkeys are quick to spot an unfair deal.