Memory is an exceedingly unique creation by God! The great civilization of humankind only being possible for their great, innovative, unstoppable brain. We, humans, are always feeling arrogant about our outstanding brainpower, but many of them had good memory also.
There are a variety of creatures that have great semantic memory. These include mammals such as apes, cats, squirrels, dogs, elephants, and chimpanzees, as well as the majority of birds, and sea animals like dolphins, sea lions and Pinnipeds.
The idea that animals can remember past experiences has been around for almost as long as modern science. However, few researchers bothered to study it because it seemed so preposterous.
An animal’s memory can be an important aspect of its intelligence and overall smartness, even if that memory is not as good as humans. Read on to learn about 10 animals with such powerful memories that they will amaze you with their ability to recall information, skills, and other important facts. You might be surprised by some of the animals that make the list!
Do Animals Have procedural memory?
Although it has been widely assumed that animals are not capable of the same level of intelligence as humans, studies beginning in the 1980s have shown that this is not the case.
Animals have been shown to have what is called procedural memory, which is a type of long-term memory that helps in performing motor skills. This means that animals are able to remember how to do things that they have learned in the past, and this information can be recalled and used in the future.
This research has led to a greater understanding of the capabilities of animals and has shown that they are more intelligent than previously thought.
Do animals have episodic memory?
Episodic memory is the ability to go back in time mentally and relive past events. Researchers studying animals from various parts of the animal kingdom have found that some animals have human-like memories of past experiences. This research has been conducted over the past decade and includes animals such as western scrub jays, dolphins, elephants, and dogs.
One of the most convincing cases of animals reliving past events comes from Crystal’s own research on episodic memories in rats. Crystal and his Ph.D. student investigated rat recall by testing limited aspects of episodic memory, such as where and when something occurred.
After a year of these tests, it was found that the rats were successful in the task 87% of the time. After further testing, it was revealed that their memories were still intact and had not been tampered with by other memories.
10 Animals with Good Memory
Many animals have powerful brain functions like Chimpanzees and bottlenose dolphins. Not only Chimpanzees and bottlenose dolphins are on this list, but their amounts are many…
- Bottlenose dolphins
- Chimpanzee
- Elephant
- Octopuses
- Squirrels
- Raccoons
- Horses
- Parrots
- Cats
- Rats
Dolphins
We, humans, are very emotional creatures, we want someone who will remember us, recall us, we want to be in a place in our favorite people’s memory. But expectations always hurts! Our favorite people can’t remember us, but the incredible thing is Dolphins can remember their mates, the voice of their friends. It is phenomenal! Isn’t it? Don’t worry dolphins and humans’ relations are exceptionally adorable.
At the age of four, every bottlenose dolphin creates a whistle. And it becomes a signature to their folk dolphins. The interesting factor is they can strangely remember this particular whistle! Dolphins are good learners also. The extraordinary power of memorizing shows when we enjoy the circus, we all have enjoyed the circus since our childhood, didn’t we?
Their ability to remember is incredibly invaluable on this earth. And by recalling individual whistles dolphins can think back to who are their friends and who are their enemies.
Dolphins are very different than other animals not because of their brain, and good memory but of their kind nature to family. They are social animals, even getting hurt by the death of their family member.
Chimpanzee
In addition to having one of our closest genetic relationships, chimpanzees are thought to have one of our closest memories. In one study, chimps were able to remember which treats they had received in a previous interaction for more than two weeks later. However, more recent research suggests their memory retention is not as good as we once thought.
Regardless, their intelligence and connection to humans help place them near the top of our list. These animals prove that strength and smarts can go hand-in-hand. Chimpanzees have an incredible memory compared to humans – they can memorize patterns they see in the blink of an eye, while the average human brain can barely recall a vivid scene from the last hour.
Elephant
From a little age, we see Elephants in circuses, showing us marvelous mastery which was being possible for their decent memory. In general, they look big, quiet, and slow as if they have very small brains and are dumb. But it’s wrong, they preserve an excellent memory. Which is kind of shocking news! Even some say Elephant never forget!
Elephants are in Earth since ancient times. They go from one place to another, and cross rivers because they know what is behind them as they have a great memory to remember! And they create a family which makes them stronger.
Compare to other animals Elephants have large brains, and large brain has a large capacity to think, solve the problem and remember many things. As they live long their good memory helps them to survive in wild.
Octopuses
A big brain or big head can’t make anyone Intelligent. But in the case of the octopus big brain makes it Intelligent and smart. Having self-awareness feature make human
intelligent, complex, and rational. Not fully but octopuses have the same type of quality a little less.
And here is the Octopus, which has an extraordinary intelligent organism. Has cognitive abilities which are rare in other mammals. Can you imagine? They can recognize faces, recognize themselves, and even learn by observation ability.
But their ancestor has a simple nervous system, but they developed their cognitive systems through time! They can be a great example of revolution, which is visible in their complex RNA. Their learning and remembering skills help them to formulate themselves, one of the intelligent creatures.
Squirrels
Squirrels are extraordinarily cute little beings in our nature. They are typically grey. Even as pets some people keep them within their home. You can see them in your gardens also. Squirrels are approximately 300 species. They can be living in almost every atmosphere on Earth. Even, tropical rainforests to semi-arid deserts can be their place.
Squirrels are principally herbivorous, seeds and nuts are their admired food, but sometimes they also eat insects, small vertebrates.
Their large eyes and a bushy tail can melt your heart at a time. It also helps them to skilfully climb trees. Have an excellent sense of smell which help them to find food. Even they can dig to find their food.
Squirrels are distinguished to have amazing memories, they can collect and store thousands of nuts every autumn of the year. With their excellent memory, they can relocate the store of food. Which helps to survive the whole winter. They have high skills to learn and solve the problem which helps them survive in the nature. Even in cities and towns, they are located.
Raccoons
Even in Hollywood movies, Raccoon is cast as a special character for its smartness and intelligence! Impressive isn’t it? Yes, it’s true. Even Raccoon possesses an excellent memory and an outstanding IQ. This makes them good learners and solves problems cleverly. They can climb easily, and have incredible senses of sight, hearing, and touch.
Raccoons have been found to be more intelligent than cats but less intelligent than primates when it comes to distinguishing between objects. They have exceptional memories and can recall the solution to a task for up to three years without being reminded.
Horses
Horses have excellent memories. For example, if they’re being trained, they can be conditioned to respond to certain colors or sounds, and can even be trained to play video games.
Horses are also very social animals and remember each other, so if you have multiple horses in your stable that know each other well, it’s possible for them to develop friendships over time.
Horses have a much better understanding of words than previously thought, according to new research. They also have excellent memories, allowing them to remember human friends after periods of separation, and to recall complex problem-solving strategies for ten years or more.
Parrots
As a pet and its glamorous beauty Parrot is very familiar to us. It has tremendous beauty and intelligence. Parrot’s memory is very sharp and able to remember long term memory, that’s why they can memorize so many words, names, and so on! Not only good memory but also they can talk if you give proper training! It’s mind-blowing how a bird can have that much good memory and delivery skills.
Their skills amazed us, it’s an undeniable truth. Many animals have a good memory but they can’t remember things after ages. But Parrot can! Scientists say they can remember almost 150/170 words and names! The brainpower of the little bird is marvelous, even close to humans. We have to admit it.
Parrots usually live long, their long life span helps them to learn tricks and apply them to survive.
Cats
Cats have a memory span that encompasses both short and long-term memories. Cats have excellent working memory when it comes to hunting, food, and remembering the way home.
It’s no secret that cats have excellent memories. Scientists have proven that they can remember what they’ve learned for years, even after just one day of training. Some cats will even remember things from when they were kittens – even when they are 15 years old!
Rats
Rats are extremely intelligent creatures with excellent memories. They can remember other rats and humans they have seen before. Besides once they learn how to reach someplace, they will never forget the route.
The study, recently published in the journal Current Biology, reveals that rats have a far greater episodic memory than previously assumed.
You May Also Read