Just when you think you've heard it all, we've now learned that a border collie named Chaser has learned the names of more than 1000 items, a world record for nonhuman animals. Chaser can also categorize the different items according to function and shape. Human children learn to do this around 3 years of age. Psychologists Alliston Reid and John Pilley, working at Wofford College in South Carolina, exposed Chaser to an intensive training program and in 838 tests performed over 3 years Chaser always got at least 90% correct. Basically, the researchers taught Chaser the names of 1022 toys and then had her fetch them from another room when they used the toy's name. This is a good example of an experiment you can do with your household companion and enrich their lives and yours.

Another recent discovery is equally fascinating. We now know that chimpanzees make their own dolls. Sonya Kahlenberg (Bates College) and Richard Wrangham (Harvard University) discovered that juvenile chimpanzees, more commonly females living in Uganda's Kibale National Park, play with sticks and cradle them and even make nests for them to sleep in at night. Doll making only was observed in females before their first birth and they learned the behavior by copying other juveniles. Many animals make and use tools (see also and) and the more we learn the more we see that other animals are smarter and more creative than we give them credit for, or perhaps ever imagined. Best to keep an open mind about the cognitive skills of the animals with whom we share our homes and the rest of the planet for "surprises" are continually forthcoming.