If animals suddenly gained alot of intellligence, would they be able to overcome the human race?
155181
Let's define what is the significance that you attribute to the term overcome.\n- Scientific achievements or\n- Social cohesion?\nAt this point, I aggree with Dogma ; intelligence alone might not be enough. \nBut I think that they have a lot of probabilities, because their instincts are conducting them to gather in groups,and accept their leader. They are not ambitious, they are happy having simple things. I would say that they don't want to reach the top in the Maslow's pyramide. \nIf social cohesion is assured, scientific achievements will come.\nThis means that they are able to overcome the human race.\nBut...don't worry1 This will never happen. Animals are clever enough in order not to show it to us!\n\nKaterina
19432
We are accually NOT smarter then all animals..\nWe were just lucky to find a better means of communication and interpretation of our situation. That has nothing to do with us being smarter...
984363
Animals sense things alot better than humans do.
106270
Yes, if you know how to speak in thier "language". Dolphins are alot smarter than we are. You can 'speak" to any animal if you know how to "listen" to them. You"listen" by watching thier actions, facial expressions, body language, and by listening to the different sounds they make.
1046142
Nope, because apes felt that having a much more primitive brain could save them all the trouble debating on the theory of evolution.
808244
This is actually a great question, and entire books have been written on it.  I am not going to try an condense down those books (look for authors like Jared Diamond and Stephen j. Gould) but I will just give you my thoughts.  \n\nFirst, the neandertal were very close to us in intelligence.  There is much debate on how close, but the evidence points towards them being almost as adaptable as us and probably capable of symbolic thought.  This shows lightning can strike twice.\n\nSecond, you say no other animal comes remotely close, but this isn't quite true.  chimps, gorillas, some whales & dolphins, and elephants have been shown to be quite intelligent, capable of learning, communicating, even using tools.  So while I'm not saying they will win in a chess match, they do come at least remotely close to our intelligence.\n\nThird, you really answer your own question, as you say intelligence can and does help us and other species.  If this adaptation is actually useful, then why wouldn't we continue to evolve in that direction?  \n\nMy final point is this:  once we became smart enough to outsmart the natural world, we then had to outsmart each other!  Our anscestors had to be smart enough to not just kill mammoths and cook meat, they had to be smart enough to defend against raids from other tribes, or smart enough to be useful in a tribe full of smart people, in order to stand out to potential mates.  that is a powerful selective pressure on any species, but especially our anscetors.
25992
In principle, one group of people could evolve to be much more intelligent than others.  That is probably how we (Homo sapiens) wiped out the Neanterthals (Homo neanderthalensis).\n\nAmong us Homo sapiens, the evidence that one race is more or less intelligent than another is not convincing.  Differences in performance on intelligence tests (and who is to say that is relevant) are small.  Any discussion of the relationship of race to intelligence immediate gets shouted down by those who believe they are about to be judged inferior.\n\nIn principle, a small group of very intelligent people, who everyone could agree are more intelligent than the rest of us, could have evolved or could have been created by selective breeding (eugenics), but if there is one, they aren't showing themselves.
25974
Certainly, chances of another intelligent species out there are trmendous. Just a matter of time, before they find us, or we find them.
881006
Possible, but not probable.\n\nIf one looks at the variations of canines and felines that have been developed through human breeding problems you do get the idea that this may be possible.\n\nHowever, domestic cattle have been associated with humans for a very long time and there seems to be a very much smaller difference between the variations.  In part, this is due to the goals being different (meat production, milk production, smaller horns).\n\nWhat you are talking about is a process that might take centuries and there must be a clear cut goal and reason to require such an expenditure of resources.\n\nIt sound like you want to reduce a typical weight of 1,200 to 1,800 pounds down to 80.  This may not be possible.
349380
We don't know that humans are the only creatures that can think deeper.  There's evidence that whales are quite intelligent.  Not to mention there's an awful lot of universe out there to contimplate.
448373
Much to the dissmay of Noam Chomsky, it appears that differnent non-human animals do have varying degrees of linguistical comprehension ability.\n\nChimps and Gorillas can be taught the ability to use sign language to some degree and they demonstrate the ability to understand spoken language. \n\nMany mammals can understand certain phrases and/or words, some relying more heavily on tones than others. Parrots of course can speak more clearly than any non-human animal and African Grey's have demonstrated actual understanding of some of the words spoken to them by picking out objects asked of them, such as a toy car, and even identifying the color. \n\nResearch has even shown that even the lowly rat can distinguish the difference between the sound patterns of different human languages. Of course it's unlikely they are able to understand any words to any degree but it does underscore the importance of communication and the fact that social animals are biologically hard wired for it.
537451
Because animals don't have to accomplish as many tasks, so they can specialize on a few specific tasks and learn to perfect them. Humans take on a greater number of tasks, most of which are highly complex, so they can't specialize as easily.
784669
Because in that time, monkeys are often thought to be the smartest animal alive.
1071375
The chimpanzee became "so intelligent" the same way humans did; isolated populations of chimps devised ways of dominating their environment, and by selective "partitioning" of the smarter population eventually separated themselves from their ancestors (a group of earlier apes that you and I have in common with the chimps).\n\nSharks have not evolved to be any smarter because they began with less raw material.  A shark is a fish.  What do they teach in school these days?  It is not impossible that in a few million years, sharks will evolve into something smarter, but it is unlikely because something is already dominating that opportunity.
524050
It would take a while to look up, but the mineral content does not vary significantly between any mammals, so human mineral content would be sufficient.  In fact, I doubt if the mineral content varies more than a tiny amount between mammals and birds.
808029
Yes.\nNext major race after humans disappear
102787
No until we can no longer find ways around environment pressures.  Once the environment picks off the unfit humans, the remaining may evolve into something smarter.  That all depends on if intelligence is a genetic trait or is it the cause of your surroundings.