Rebecca Anthony ; the truth as I recall it, with honor, with humor

                                                                         Animal Intelligence   From dolphins to prairie dogs, ravens to dinosaurs scientists and lay people have been judging sentient beings for centuries, comparing their intellectual abilities to human abilities and always finding the finned, feathered and furry ones wanting. As children, many were taught that the all important opposable thumb, the ability to use tools, problem solving capabilities, our huge cerebral cortex and the fact that people have emotions were the key components that separated apes (read Homo sapiens) from the rest of the animal kingdom. Humans were considered to have superior intellect and were the gold standard by which all other animals were measured. For example, scientists study the ability of African Gray parrots to distinguish colors, number and shape identification skills, and their understanding and proper use of  human language. They conclude, that species’ intelligence is equivalent to