If you have watched any television in recent years, I am sure that you have seen many special programs devoted to discovering the smartest animals on the planet.

The toothed mammals of the oceans such as the bottle-nose dolphin, killer whale and sea lions were highly scored as some of the brightest animals as well as the great apes such as chimpanzees, orangutans and monkeys in general.

However, unless I am mistaken, we are highly unlikely to match wits with any of these creatures in the forests or waters of Butler County.

It became a fancy of mine to discover what animals that we might consider the brightest among our local creatures.

After much research and reflection I came up with a list of what I consider the ten smartest creatures found in Butler County.

Some of these creatures are not surprising to me nor should they be to you as they are found in most every household in the county and on many farms.

Domestic dogs and cats lead the list of smart animals found throughout the county.

I have encountered many dogs and cats that have confounded and impressed their owners as escape artists, tricksters and service animals.

While dogs have proven their loyalty to man for centuries, we at the same time have found our cats to be highly independent pets.

Some people prefer loyalty and service from their pets while others value spirited independence, thus we recognize our most common pets and beloved companions.

Farm animals that require recognition for intelligence include the pig, sheep and horses.

Each of these animals shows intelligence, voice and facial recognition as well as great communication abilities.

Pigs and horses can be taught many tricks and are famous for performing their abilities as taught by humans.

I am also curious about the llama and would like to know more about their traits and intelligence.

Birds are not to be out-done as the crow family, parrots and pigeons are all famous for being able to communicate and be trained.

The falcon has been trained and used as a highly intelligent hunting partner by man since the early years of recorded history.

It is noted in history that pigeons have been used for their built-in GPS and ability to return to their owners over hundreds of miles.

Pigeons were a helpful form of communication in early war time and troops were ordered to shoot pigeons as they flew countless missions to aid their own army.

Yet the animals that I found very interesting in my research of intelligent creatures were the ants, bees and spiders as each found special ways to communicate, make intricate patterns, also have built-in GPS, live in social orders and work as a team to live in the most hostile environments.

Scientists still do not understand all of the chemical signals, mask scents and trails left to discover food sources and to also call for help to protect their homes like a 9-1-1 call.

Bees will do intricate dances and designs to show the best flowers and blossoms to hive mates.

The easiest to recognize among the creatures of our woodlands are the squirrels, raccoons and rats.

They all are excellent survivalists, have uncanny abilities to learn from experiences and can recognize friend from foe in an instant.

We have squirrels and crows that absolutely recognize faces, voices and routines of our household. Once they have identified a person as a threat or not, they will display certain behaviors of trust or fear.

We have had a family of crows visiting our feeder for years and they will fly up onto a tree branch and allow us to walk by.

Try that with a bunch of crows that have been shot at in a corn field or woods roosting area.

It won’t happen twice. Crows get smart from experimental learning and communicating amongst each other.

For years, I have faced the clever raccoons of the neighborhood.

Sometimes they become too bold or familiar and they do become a problem.

There is a difference between being clever and being smart.

The difference is in learning to solve problems and teach the solutions to their offspring.

Raccoons have the dexterity and persistence to get what they want.

They also have the ability to solve problems with different strategies.

Watch a coon work a problem or a strategy that you have devised to keep them out of your bird feeders or other yard areas. They will use cat doors, windows, attic screens and other entrances to gain their objective — food.

Finally we look at the rat, which has lived with mankind for thousands of years and is not likely to become exterminated any time soon.

When I was in high school, my biology teacher clearly stated that the rat and the cockroach would be on planet Earth long after humans.

However, the fact remains that without humans, they would likely perish as well.

Rats are used for their intelligence and problem-solving skills in scientific studies more than any other creature.

They can figure out solutions to road blocks and problem solve with amazing efficiency.

Unfortunately, the rat also suffers from stressors and social issues just like man and have the same health issues as science has observed.

So no matter what you consider the smartest animals on this planet, remember that there is always something to learn from them.

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.