PBS - Inside Animal Minds (2014) Part 3 Whos the Smartest

Inside Animal Minds

What would it be like to go inside the mind of an animal? We have all gazed into a creature's eyes and wondered: What is it thinking about? What does it really know? Now, the revolutionary science of animal cognition is revealing hard evidence about how animals understand the world around them, uncovering their remarkable problem-solving abilities and exploring the complexity of their powers of communication and even their emotions.

In the three-hour special Inside Animal Minds, NOVA explores these breakthroughs through three iconic creatures: dogs, birds, and dolphins. Travel into the spectacularly nuanced noses of dogs and wolves, and discover whether their reliance on different senses has shaped their evolution. See through the eyes of a starling in flight and test the tool-using skills of the smartest of birds, the crow. Listen in as scientists track dolphins in the Caribbean and elephants on the African savannah. Discover how researchers are pushing the animal mind to its limits, and uncover the surprising similarities to–and differences from–the human mind.

Part 3: Whos the Smartest

What makes an animal smart? What forces of evolution drive brains to become more complex? Many scientists believe the secret lies in our relationships. Throughout the animal kingdom, some of the cleverest creatures—including humans—seem to be those who live in complex social groups, like dolphins, elephants, and apes. Could the skills required to keep track of friend and foe make animals smarter? To find out, NOVA goes inside the social lives of some of the smartest animals on the planet. Off the coast of Florida, we see dolphins team up to catch fish by whipping up a wall of muddy water that drives the meal right into their companions’ waiting mouths. It seems that the dolphins are working together to plan their hunt. But are they really? Biologists go on a quest to decipher the secrets of animal societies, from the seas of the Caribbean to the plains of Africa. Do dolphins and elephants have “language?” Do chimps have a sense of fairness? And are any animals besides ourselves capable of feeling empathy?

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