|
For some things in life at least, size does matter.
Research shows that animals with big brains are smarter.
Bears came top of the class in problem-solving tasks while meerkats were found to be the dunces of the animal kingdom.
Despite their portrayal in TV commercials as cheeky, chatty creatures, meerkats and other members of the mongoose family completely failed to solve a puzzle that many other species cracked.
Scroll down for video
Researchers visited nine zoos and videoed 140 animals from 39 species Each animals was tasked with attempting to open a box containing food. Bears (stock image left) came top of the class in problem-solving tasks while meerkats (stock image right) were found to be the dunces of the animal kingdom
To find out whether size matters, researchers from four US universities visited nine zoos and videoed 140 animals from 39 species as they tried to solve a puzzle.
Creatures from polar bears and tigers to cheetahs and otters were presented with a crate which contained a tasty snack clearly visible through gaps in the slats.
The treats were particular favourites of the animals being tested and ranged from bamboo to dead baby goats.
Each animal had half an hour to work out how to slide a blot across, opening the door and allowing them to get their hands on the snack.
Tactics ranged from tipping the crate on its side, to gnawing at it and digging away at the soil underneath it.
Overall, 35 per cent of the animals solved the puzzle, with bears the most triumphant, opening the crate door 70 per cent of the time.
In contrast, not a single racoon or meerkat worked out what to do.
And the members of the cat family tested outshone the dogs by a whisker, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports.
Analysis showed the results couldn't be explained by the most nimble animals succeeding the most.
As well as finding that size matters, the researchers discovered that the so-called 'social brain hypothesis' was false.
This idea suggests that animals that live in social groups develop higher intelligence because they have to deal with others, but this study found no evidence that social group size influenced problem-solving abilities.
And despite bears doing coming top, the biggest animals weren't always the brightest.
Creatures from polar bears and tigers to cheetahs and red pandas (pictured) were presented with a crate which contained a snack clearly visible through gaps in the slats. Each animal had half an hour to work out how to slide a blot across, opening the door and allowing them to get their hands on the snack
Tactics ranged from tipping the crate on its side, to gnawing at it and digging away at the soil underneath it. Overall, 35 per cent of the animals solved the puzzle. The animals with the largest brains performed most effectively, and the members of the cat family (tiger pictured) tested outshone the dogs by a whisker
Instead, the research showed the size of an animal's brain relative to its body to be key.
Michigan State University researcher Kay Holekamp said: 'Our results show that carnivore species with a larger average body mass performed worse than smaller-bodied species on the task.
'Thus, it does seem that a larger brain size relative to body size is an important determinant of performance and it is not the case that larger animals are more successful simply because their brains are larger than those of smaller species.'
As well as finding size matters, the researchers found the so-called 'social brain hypothesis' was false. This suggests animals that live in social groups (hyena pictured) develop higher intelligence because they have to deal with others, but this study found no evidence that social group size influenced problem-solving abilities
Lead author Sarah Benson-Amram told MailOnline: 'This study provides important support for the claim that brain size reflects an animal's problem-solving abilities.
'It enhances our understanding of why larger brains evolved in some species.'
The find helps explain why highly-intelligent creatures like bees, dolphins, and of course, humans, sport brains that are relatively large compared to their bodies.
Blue whales and hippos join meerkats in having brains that are disproportionately small.