History Main / IntellectualAnimal

* In ''WesternAnimation/DanVs'' "The Dinosaur", the T-Rex endears herself to Dan by [[NotSoDifferent demonstrating an appreciation for television, a love of fast food, and general misanthropy.]] She's also intelligent enough to be [[spoiler:enraged when Dan finally gets her back for wrecking his car by sending her the repair bill.]]

* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': Bolt, Mittens, Rhino, and the various animal OCs all have a love of culture and the arts. While the three main characters enjoy a wide variety of media, Bolt prefers visual art, Mittens prefers music, and Rhino retains preference for anything that shows up on the television.

* From ''Manga/AxisPowersHetalia'', Cameroon's lion cub Kokolo, a Glasgow University Fine Arts graduate according to ''Manga/{{Hetaween 2011}}''. [[spoiler: Who designs and apparently makes his "master" a Halloween costume with his own hands, er, "paws".]]

* In ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' and its successor ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'':

* Zig-zagged with the rabbit characters of ''TabletopGame/BunniesAndBurrows''. On the one hand, they have organized societies with roles like [[TheBard Storytellers]] and [[PsychicPowers Seers]]. On the other, they're quite dim compared to humans: concepts like writing and numbers larger than four are forever beyond their grasp.

In RealLife animals are quite intelligent, but in certain media and literature they can do many astonishing things you don't usually see animals do and, might or might not, be smarter than the human characters.

* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': Bolt, Mittens, Rhino, and the various animal OCs, all have a love of culture and the arts. While the three main characters enjoy a wide variety of media, Bolt prefers visual art, Mittens prefers music, and Rhino retains preference for anything that shows up on the television.

* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOrPower'': Exposure to the magic of the Sword of Protection ramped up this incarnation of Swiftwind's intelligence, allowing him to talk and even understand (in his own way) such concepts as freedom. He's still a bit simpleminded, but that has helped Adora with her own problems since he's unencumbered by preconceived ideas.

* Ein of ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' probably qualifies, despite being a data dog and having a computer for a brain. Nonetheless, he's been known to utilize keyboards, play shogi, and hack into websites. The episode "Mushroom Samba" shows him holding a conversation with a cow, in which he is quite articulate.

* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': Applies to Bolt, Mittens, Rhino, and the various animal OCs, all of whom have a love of culture and the arts. While they enjoy a wide variety of media, Bolt prefers visual art, Mittens prefers music, and Rhino retains preference for anything that shows up on the television.

* ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone'': Archimedes the Educated Owl, Merlin's companion, is as studied as his friend and serves as one of Arthur's teacher.

** And the [[Discworld/TheAmazingMauriceAndHisEducatedRodents Amazing Maurice and his rodent friends]].

** Averted in ''Discworld/{{Sourcery}}'', where what Rincewind took to be a highly cultured talking snake turned out to be an extremely thin man sitting behind the snake.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' has Iago, a very witty and smart talking parrot. Abu the monkey is also smart, but can't talk.

* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': The Principal of U.A. is [[CartoonCreature some sort of furry mammal]] that has manifested a [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Quirk]] giving him SuperIntelligence, and apparently the ability to talk.

* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' has the Principal of U.A., the titular hero academy. He is a special case of an animal that has manifested a [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Quirk]], in this case, SuperIntelligence.

** The paladin's and the oracle of nature's bonded mounts start with an intelligence of 6, which is equivalent to a low-level familiar. A halfling who chooses the Caretaker racial trait can increase it further to 8, which is just below the average human intelligence.

In RealLife animals don't really do much of anything, but in certain media and literature they can do things you don't usually see animals do and might or might not be smarter than the human characters.

->'''Guiv:''' What are you, a philosopher bird?\\
'''Turul:''' Just an old bird. In a thousand years, you are wise too.

--->'''Varric:''' You know, you play diamondback better than my cousin Vidar. You wag your tail whenever you have a good hand, though. Might want to watch that.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

-->'''Homer''': Let's see, "The steak was too..." Come on, help me out here.\\

-->'''Scientist''': People, we're in danger of losing our funding. America isn't interested in space exploration any more.
-->'''Assistant''': Maybe we should finally tell them the big secret: that [[ApesInSpace all the chimps we sent into space]] came back super-intelligent.
-->'''Chimp''': No, I don't think we'll be telling them ''that''.

* [[GadgeteerGenius Gadget]] [[WrenchWench Hackwrench]] of ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'' is one of the FunnyAnimal variety. She's a mouse with a demonstrably higher IQ than...well, pretty much ''everyone'' on the show, human and animal alike. However unlike most examples she never lords this over anyone (even unintentionally) and she's good-natured and kind to a (literal) fault. [[BewareTheNiceOnes Usually]].

* The sea urchin from ''ComicStrip/{{Conchy}}'', who spends his days making philosophical musings about life about the bottom of a tidal pool.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAge'':

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* Iktomi, Coyote, Reynard the Fox, Ananse... pretty much all {{Trickster Archetype}}s fit this trope.
[[/folder]]

{{Intellectual Animal}}s can range from being {{Nearly Normal Animal}}s, to being {{Civilized Animal}}s, to being full-blown {{Funny Animal}}s. Some can actually talk freely with humans.

The character doesn't have to be a specific animal, merely be [[BeastFable animal-like]] (four-legged carnivores are popular) and clearly not human (a NatureSpirit, a god, et cetera). They are more likely to be an imposing animal than [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter something cute]]. To reduce the sense of cartoonishness inherent in this idea, the IntellectualAnimal may speak [[{{Telepathy}} without moving their mouth]] and/or talk in a normal, serious voice.

* Red XIII, aka Nanaki, from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' is perhaps the prime example of this in video games. Red is especially weird; not only is he smart for an "animal", he's probably the smartest member of your party. Even weirder is when it's revealed that, adjusting for his species' lifespan, Red is a teenager, making him a sort of TeenGenius on top of being an IntellectualAnimal.

* [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The Dog]] of ''ComicStrip/FootrotFlats''.

* Old Boot from the British Peanuts-equivalent ''The Perishers''.

* The animal gods from ''Anime/PrincessMononoke''.
* Archimedes the Educated Owl, from [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney's]] ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone''.

* Gourmet chef Remy from ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'', a rat.
* In the film adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/WatershipDown'' the main group of rabbits are more intelligent than normal rabbits but they're still rabbits. All but two or three of them don't quite understand things like how some objects are able to sit on top of water and not sink and cars and tractors appear to be monsters that run along roads.

* Altivo the horse from ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado.'' When Miguel asks him to fetch a prybar so that he and Tulio can try to break loose, Altivo does one better and steals the keys.

* As was the case in the cartoon, Ape from ''Film/GeorgeOfTheJungle'' (voiced by Creator/JohnCleese to make him even funnier).

* Franchise/{{Godzilla}}[=/=]Gojia and most of his {{Kaiju}} friends, although their intelligence varies from one film/adaptation to another. On average, Goji-san himself seems to have human or near-human intelligence.
* Falcor the Luck Dragon from ''Film/TheNeverEndingStory''.
* Mac from ''Film/TheRealMacaw''.

* Okku goes heavy on the contempt for humans in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2: Mask of the Betrayer''.
** StatisticallySpeaking Okkus intelligence is below average. Though seeing as the average intelligence of a bear is a whopping 2, that shouldn't count too much against him.
* ''VideoGame/{{Lunar}}''
** Nall from ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar''
** And Ruby from ''VideoGame/LunarEternalBlue''
* Koromaru from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', who's a dog (an albino Shiba Inu, to be exact). While he can't talk, he's smarter than Junpei, capable of detecting shadows, is great with a knife, and [[OurSoulsAreDifferent is capable of summoning a Persona]].
* Boney of ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'' fits this pretty well, although he is a charming chocolate labrador as opposed to something more intimidating. Despite this, he occasionally speaks with the party (how he does this is never explained) and blends human-level intelligence with animal instincts, taking offense to an NPC suggesting his use as bait for a raging monster one moment, and dropping everything to chase after insects the next.
** PSI-users can communicate with animals using telepathy, though Lucas could do this even before his powers awakened.
* [[VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia Repede]], to the point of acting more human than dog at times. He is pretty much an expy of Blanca.
* Dragons fall easily into this trope, like Arok in ''VideoGame/{{Drakan}}''.
* The mabari hounds from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' are described as having almost-human intelligence, and legend even tells that they're "smart enough to speak, but wise enough not to". You can recruit a mabari into your party, and he occasionally "converses" with your other party members while you wander around.

* Kaepora Gaebora from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' and a couple other games from the series.

* [[CatsAreSuperior Krosp I]], in ''WebComic/GirlGenius'', was altered through [[MadScientist Mad Science]] to become one of these.

** Sounds like a parody of Scratch Fury, Destroyer of Worlds from ''Webcomic/{{PVP}}''.
*** [[OlderThanTheyThink Except that Thomas Kemper was part of the PA cast LONG before Scratch entered the PVP world]]

* Mr. Speedy the koala from ''Webcomic/AGirlAndHerFed''.
* The imperial cats from ''Alpha Shade''. They seem to vary from between being house-cat sized to big cat sized. They have psionic powers that are significantly in excess of any humans we've seen.
* Berthold from ''Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFoxhound''.
* Xanther from ''Webcomic/ElvenLacryment'' seems to be the lead character's psychiatrist.
* Blackwing the raven from ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has recently become this, offering advice and insight to his master, Vaarsuvius. Justified in that he's the {{familiar}} of a powerful wizard, so he's likely smarter than most humans.
* Dietzel from ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare''.
* The fox Shadow might be the most prominent example from ''Webcomic/SandraAndWoo'' since he's for example able to come up with a rhyming [[http://www.sandraandwoo.com/2009/07/02/0073-summer-by-the-lakeside/ carnivorous anthem]]. Woo, on the other hand, attempted at least [[http://www.sandraandwoo.com/2010/09/27/0203-healthy-cookies-part-1/ subliminal]] [[http://www.sandraandwoo.com/2010/09/30/0204-healthy-cookies-part-2/ cookie acquisition]].
* Any wizard/sorcerer familiars in ''Webcomic/OurLittleAdventure''. Angelika's got a rat named [[MeaningfulName Norveg]] and Simonicus has a cat named [[IronicName Ebony.]]
* Hazel, and many other cats, in ''Webcomic/PrinceOfCats''.