How intelligent are animals? part 1 According to common belief animals are less intelligent than humans, because of convenience and their inability to communicate. As humans started to hunt and eat animals the need to quench their conscience became necessary. In the following animals were differentiated from humans and given a lower status. Society seldom questions the cognitive abilities of non-human animals, but many scientists also support the idea that they share no common traits with humans. However, how can intelligence be measured and how is it defined. The term itself is problematic even for humans, but even more so for animals, which cannot compared to humans. As Frans de Waals in his article What I learned from tickling apes explains that researchers use anthropomorphism or “censure the attribution of human-like traits and experiences to other species”. So when talking about their intellectual abilities, animals rather use instinct or simple learning. Consequently, scientists critic others, who attribute animals with reasoning. At the same time humans like to think that animals like the same activities as humans do. Sometimes pets are even attributed with the same emotions humans would feel in certain situations, like guilt or embarrassment. In conclusion, the notion that non-human animals have nothing in common with humans is based on the belief that humans are superior in everything. In difference to that studies show that animals are smart as well. The Greek philosopher Aristotele already ranked humans on top of his Scala Naturae. However, has an animal the same senses and natural history as a human and can they be compared? According to Köhler, a German psychologist, animals are able to mental processes similar to thinking by combining prior knowledge. Moreover, researchers tell about chimpanzees showing concern or empathy for an injured companion. Clark´s nutcrackers are even capable of remembering the locations of thousand of seeds hidden for half a year. In the following animals developed on many cognitive levels that differ in their field of specialization. Consequently, especially when comparing apes with humans the use of anthropomorphic terms can be justified, because of the neurological and behavioral similarities.