What is fascinating is that some of these animals are not
even closely related to man physiologically or phenotypically.
Yet they demonstrate an understanding of simple physics and
the use of matter, and are able to construct complex living structures.
Consider the termite mound, anthill, wasps nest, birds nest,
beaver dam, and beehive. Consider that ants cultivate fungi
for food, and milk aphids, and set aside parts of their
colony for reproduction. How large is the ant brain?
What about the beaver dam. It can be a large structure.
Humans living in the wild can construct
shelter but the beaver has been doing that for a long time.
Can animals be smarter than many humans?
As a whole, humans are somewhat stupid and controlled more by animal instinct than we will likely ever know. We have just recently become very good at passing down old knowledge and reusing it. It makes us look like intelligent beings but how many humans actually invent new things or figure things out on their own? Most are just followers.
If you dropped off most humans on a desert island without any previous knowledge passed down to them, they would live just like monkeys.