These stupid pigs …
Scientists have discovered that pigs are smarter than dogs and perform tasks assigned to them no worse than chimpanzees.
"We have shown that pigs share a number of cognitive abilities with other highly intelligent species such as dogs, chimpanzees, elephants, dolphins, and even humans. This is good scientific evidence for the need to reconsider our relationship with them," said Lori Marino from Emory University in the USA. Scientists reached this conclusion after analyzing the results of dozens of studies conducted on pigs and other animals.
Overall, the research showed that pigs have excellent long-term memory, navigate mazes well, and successfully complete tasks involving moving and correctly positioning objects. These animals can understand simple symbolic language and learn complex combinations of symbols for actions and objects. It was also observed that they love to play, tumble, and wrestle with each other, just like dogs do, writes Discovery News.
Pigs live in complex social communities where they observe each other, learn, and cooperate. They can also manipulate a joystick, moving a cursor across a screen, find hidden food using mirrors, and empathize with other individuals.
Scientists note that humans typically rank pigs below other animal species, such as dogs and cats, although research shows that they are no less intelligent, and sometimes even smarter.