40 People Share The Creepiest Displays Of Intelligence They’ve Ever Seen

We all have a fairly consistent idea of an average person or animal’s mental abilities, sometimes misguided, but accurate enough for day-to-day use. So when one’s pet (or even a person) does something deeply human-like, most folks are typically taken aback. Someone asked on Reddit “What is the creepiest display of intelligence you’ve seen?” and netizens detailed things they saw that stayed with them to this day.

#1 Koko the Gorilla Who Lied

Not creepy, but rather endearing. If you remember Koko the gorilla, she raised and nurtured a kitten. Well, Koko once accidently broke the sink in her enclosure, then used the sign language her caretakers taught her to tell them her kitten did it.

She learned a language, and used it to lie. Prior to this, no one considered a gorilla’s intelligence in this manner.

#2 Octopus Master of Deception

I heard of an octopus who would break out of its tank at night and eat the crabs in a neighbouring tank. The aquarium staff didn’t understand how the crabs kept getting eaten until they watched cctv and saw what the octopus was doing.

Creepy thing is, the octopus knew to replace the lids and return to its own tank. That must mean it understood the need for deception.