Do animals think?
I saw a robin build a nest.
The robin did not have to learn how to build a nest. It knew from the
time it was born. This knowing is called instinct. Even if a robin never
saw a nest, it would make the kind of nest robins have made for
thousands of years.
My cat had kittens.
She took good care of the kittens. She washed them and fed them and
carried them by holding the fur on their necks in her mouth. My cat took
care of her kittens just as cats have always done. She knew how to care
for her kittens because of instinct.
Robins, cats, and other animals do many things because of instinct.
But some animals can learn to do things that aren’t instinctive.
I taught my dog to sit up and beg. When I went to the circus, I saw a
tiger jump through a hoop. The tiger’s trainer taught
A cat takes care of her kittens in the same way that cats have always
cared for their kittens. A cat knows how to take care of kittens because
of instinct.
it to do that. My friend taught his parakeet to say “Hello,” “Good-by,”
and “Go to school.”
Some animals can think enough to solve problems, too.
Scientists prove this with experiments. A scientist may put a hungry
monkey in a cage and give the monkey a stick. Then, the scientist puts
some food outside the cage. The monkey sees the food and wants it.
First, the monkey tries to get the food by sticking its arm between the
bars of the cage. But, it can’t reach the food. The food is too far
away. After a while, the monkey grabs the stick and uses it to pull the
food into the cage. The monkey has solved a problem by itself.
Animals have instinct. Some can learn simple tricks. And some can think
enough to solve problems. But animals can’t think as well as people do.
I am smarter than any animal.
This orangutan is trying to get a piece of food out of the plastic tube.
To solve the problem, he pushes the rod through the tube. His reward for
thinking? A snack.
