Interesting. I had wondered about bees, and if it takes a learned bad experience to know to avoid them or if there's something instinctive about the warning patter that they know to stay away.

Quote Originally Posted by SkeletalFrog View Post
That said, testing higher-order intelligence in different species is often difficult, especially for species very different from us, so just because we haven't observed it doesn't mean it isn't there. Conversely, however, complex behaviors that seem outwardly intelligent can be produced from little more than a combination of conditioning, memory, instinct, and our own anthropomorphic biases.
So very true, especially when you're emotionally attached to the critter.


I'm always impressed at tree frogs navigational abilities. Specifically how they manage to return to their favoured spots no matter how often I move them away, as I often do for the wild ones around here that like to hang out on door frames or window sills and risk an accidental squishing by an inattentive human. I'm not sure a homing ability qualifies as a higher intelligence, but it's still pretty cool.