IQ, a human-centric metric, is also famous in animals. Some experts believe that animals are often categorized by IQ levels, such as highest and the lowest IQ animals.
Chimpanzees are considered the animals with the highest IQ in the world, while sloths are considered the animals with the lowest IQ.
The question arises here is that why are chimpanzees the highest IQ animals and sloths the lowest IQ animals?
The short answer is that chimpanzees share 98% of their DNA with humans, and sloths are the slowest mammal on land.
In this article, we’ll discuss the animals with the lowest IQ on the planet & also explore how these animals survive against their predators.
Let’s start!
Animals with the lowest IQ:
Some animals are naturally smart and show a high level of intelligence, while others completely lack such an intelligent brain.
Dolphins are the most intelligent creatures in the ocean due to their large brain size. It means animals with large brains have a high IQ level while those with a small brain have a low IQ.
Here are some animals that have the lowest IQ compared to other animal species.
Sloths:
Sloths are considered the lowest IQ animals due to their small brain. Their brain can only perform some specific tasks related to their survival.
Although sloths have small brains, some experts believe they have good spatial memory. Sloths are very slow animals & they only travel a short distance around their environment.
According to some estimates, sloths only cover 41 yards of distance daily.
Despite having a low IQ, sloths have interesting behavior and social nature. Generally, sloths are solitary animals and don’t live in groups.
However, when a mother sloth gives birth after a gestation period of 150 to 182 days, the young ones remain with their mothers for one year.
Sloths can also not see well in daylight & some sloths are completely blind in daylight. In other words, sloths have poor eye vision.
Pandas:
Pandas generally look like dumb animals, but actually, they are not dumb. Pandas are very smart creatures, although their brain size is smaller than their other organs.
A recent study about pandas’ intelligence suggests that they are smart animals with good memory.
Generally, there are two species of pandas Giant panda & red panda. The giant panda is called a ‘panda bear‘ while a red panda can be called a ‘cute panda.’
The fascinating point about pandas is that they mostly eat bamboo leaves. Researchers are still confused about how these creatures are smart after eating a nutritionless diet.
On the other hand, red pandas are endangered species and less than 10,000 red pandas are left in the world.
Koalas:
Koalas are the tree-dwelling marsupials of Australia that spend most of their time in sleeping. Koalas generally, can grow up to 24 to 33 inches in length with a weight of up to 15 kg.
Usually, koalas are not smart animals, but they can remember the location of food sources to some extent.
Koalas typically eat a very specific diet that consists only of eucalyptus leaves. These leaves don’t provide any rich nutrients to koalas. That’s why koalas spend much of their time sleeping to save energy.
Despite not being very intelligent creatures, koalas can make various sounds to communicate with each other. Koalas are usually solitary animals that prefer to live alone rather than in groups.
Ostrich:
Ostriches are the largest & heaviest flightless birds that are native to Africa. Maybe you’re wondering why ostriches are on the list of low-IQ animals.
Generally, the ostrich has a small brain as compared to their large size. The interesting thing is that ostrich’s eyes are larger than their brain. Due to their small brain that’s why ostriches are low-IQ animals.
Although ostriches are not intelligent animals, they can run at a speed of up to 70 km/h. On the other hand, a female ostrich lays the largest egg, which is 6 inches in diameter and weighs up to 1.3 kg.
Not only this, ostrich also has a deadly kick that can even kill a lion. Their kick can deliver a force of up to 2000 psi.
Komodo Dragon:
Komodo dragons are well known for swallowing their prey whole instead of biting. They just catch their prey and finish them off within minutes.
So, given this ferocious behavior, why do Komodo dragons have low IQ?
Generally, Komodo dragons are not very smart animals, but their behavior suggests they have all the essential skills that they need for hunting, not for survival.
Not for survival means Komodo dragons have no natural predators they just worry about their next meal after eating prey.
Approximately 7000 lizard species exist in the world & the fascinating point is that Komodo dragons are the largest among these lizard species.
Despite not having a high IQ, Komodo dragon’s bite is considered a venomous bite.
Turkeys:
Turkeys are not animals but a type of bird native to North America. Generally, there are two species of turkeys: wild turkeys and Ocellated turkeys.
Although turkeys are not smart birds, they have a good social structure.
Wild turkeys often live and travel in groups. During the breeding season which starts from February to April, a turkey lives in groups consisting of male and female turkeys.
Turkeys are not as smart as some other birds, like crows, parrots, and pigeons, but they show little intelligence to some extent.
Turkeys usually eat grains such as wheat, corn, and millet during the summer, while in winter, they eat dry fruits, nuts, and vegetables.