Top 11 dumbest animals in the world: a surprising list with facts and pictures

Top 11 dumbest animals in the world: a surprising list with facts and pictures

Distinct animals have brains specialised for different purposes, influenced by more than just the number of neurons. Animals with fewer nerve cells might exhibit less sophisticated behaviours than those with more neurons. This article has the top 11 dumbest animals in the world with facts and pictures.

dumbest animals
Animals evolve cognitive and behavioural traits that best suit their environment. Photo: @Kiwisoul, @Hans Dharma (modified by author)
Source: UGC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

There are both intelligent and dumb species in the animal kingdom, but this does not mean the latter lacks intelligence. The list of least intelligent animals considers factors such as an animal’s reaction to predators, feeding habits, and actions when in danger. So, what is the most foolish animal?

Top 11 dumbest animals in the world

The quest to understand animal intelligence has long fascinated scientists. Animals evolve cognitive and behavioural traits that best suit their environment. Therefore, what might be considered as dumb in one context can be pretty clever in another. Nevertheless, certain animals exhibit cognitive functions that appear less complex than others.

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We strive to provide our readers with valuable insights and information through our various rankings and lists. To create this list of the dumbest animals in the world, we used data from multiple sources, including Planet Natural, Animal Spot, Fact Animal, and other publicly available materials to analyse the stupidest animals.

AnimalClassification
Panda BearMammalia
OstrichAves
JerboaMammalia
FlamingoAves
SlothMammalia
Goblin SharkChondrichthyes
KoalaMammalia
KakapoAves
Slow LorisMammalia
Komodo DragonReptilia
TurkeyAves

1. Panda Bear

Three giant panda bears
Three giant panda bears eating bamboo leaves in a nature reserve in China. Photo by Hung_Chung_Chih
Source: Getty Images
  • Mass: 70 – 120 kg
  • Lifespan: 20 years
  • Gestation period: 95 – 160 days
  • Class: Mammalia

Are panda bears dumb? Panda bears are the dumbest mammals alive. These creatures are adored globally for their seemingly innocent and cuddy demeanour. Their black-and-white coats and rotund bodies characterise them.

Although panda bears are carnivore family members, they have evolved to eat bamboo. They also have a terrible record of rearing their young ones and have a low reproductive rate due to their lack of interest in mating.

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2. Turkey

Wild Turkey in courtship display
Turkeys can stare uncontrollably at the sky, even when it rains, sometimes causing their death. Photo by Joe McDonald
Source: Getty Images
  • Mass: 13.5–39 kg
  • Trophic level: Carnivorous
  • Life span: 3–5 years
  • Class: Aves
  • Scientific name: Meleagris

Turkeys possess a lower level of problem-solving capability, and a lack of situational awareness can sometimes cause their slow response to potential threats. They display curious behaviour, like staring at the sky, even in the rain, making life challenging. Furthermore, some of them suffer from tenetic torticollar spasms, a genetic disorder that causes them to gaze endlessly at the sky.

3. Ostrich

Ostrich in the field
Ostrich heads are the same colour as sand, which at least acts as camouflage. Photo by Verónica Paradinas Duro
Source: Getty Images
  • Mass: 100–130 kg
  • Trophic level: Omnivorous
  • Life Span: 30–40 years
  • Class: Aves

What is the dumbest animal? The ostrich is the world’s most giant bird, and although it is flightless, it has an impressive size and ability to outrun predators. However, it is the least intelligent animal. These birds, native to Africa, are famously known for their supposed habit of burying their heads in the sand when threatened, which is a misguided attempt at camouflage.

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4. Jerboa

Four-toed jerboa
The four-toed jerboa is a small kangaroo-like rodent found in the dry coastal deserts of Egypt and Libya. Photo by Reptiles4all
Source: Getty Images
  • Mass: 57 grams
  • Trophic level: Herbivorous
  • Lifespan: Up to 6 years
  • Class: Mammalia

Jerboa is a rodent known for its large ears, long hind legs, and kangaroo-like hopping movement. However, it lacks cognitive prowess.

Jerboas frequently scare off their predators with their unusual movements. They are also known to eat their faeces, which is uncommon among rodents, displaying their problem-solving skills.

5. Flamingo

Flamingo wading in water
Flamingo stands on one leg despite having two healthy, long legs. Photo by Stephen Frink
Source: Getty Images
  • Mass: 1.8–3.6 kg
  • Trophic level: Carnivorous
  • Life span: Over 60 years
  • Class: Aves

A flamingo is a bird known for its vibrant pink colour, peculiar one-legged stance and social flocking behaviour, which is more of protection than social cognition. These dumbest birds are famous for their striking and photogenic posture, but when it comes to intelligence, they fall short compared to other avian species.

They also try to catch fish with their beaks flipped upside down, which makes it tedious. Also, they depend highly on saline waters; any habitat change could cause the entire flock to perish.

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6. Sloth

A three-toed tree sloth hangs on a branch
A three-toed tree sloth hangs on a branch with her baby clinging to her belly, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica. Photo by Kevin Schafer
Source: Getty Images
  • Mass: 3.6–7.7 kg
  • Trophic level: Herbivorous
  • Life span: Over 20 years
  • Class: Mammalia

Sloths are known for being lazy. They spend most of their time sleeping on trees but drop to the ground weekly to excrete and climb back.

These creatures heavily rely on a simple diet of leaves, and their survival strategy leans on energy conservation and less on dynamic interaction with their environment. They also move very slowly, even when faced with predators. They are also prone to accidents and even death due to falls from trees.

7. Goblin shark

Goblin Shark in deep sea
These sharks are named for their likeness to mythical goblins in Japanese folklore. Photo by 3dsam79
Source: Getty Images
  • Mass: 210 kg
  • Trophic level: Carnivorous
  • Lifespan: Up to 60 years
  • Class: Chondrichthyes

Goblin sharks spend most of their time hovering in the water, waiting for prey to pass by. Their hunting strategy is based mainly on ambush rather than strategic planning. This sea creature is also a poor swimmer, has poor eyesight, and is generally sluggish. It is also easy prey, allowing predators to come right up to it.

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8. Koala

Koala on a tree
Koalas have the most miniature brains of any known mammal. Photo by Raimund Linke
Source: Getty Images
  • Mass: 4–15 kg
  • Trophic level: Herbivorous
  • Lifespan: 13–18 years
  • Class: Mammalia

Which animal is not very smart? Although koalas are undeniably cute, their intellectual capabilities are limited, and this is exhibited in their diet, which consists of eucalyptus leaves. These leaves are high in toxins and have low nutritional value, posing a challenge to the koala’s digestive system.

9. Kakapo

A close-up shot of Sirocco the Kakapo
The Kakapo has no value for its life. Photo by Lei Zhu
Source: Getty Images
  • Mass: 2–4 kg
  • Trophic level: Herbivorous
  • Lifespan: 60 years
  • Class: Aves

The Kakapo is a flightless parrot native to New Zealand. It is the world’s heaviest parrot, and its inability to fly makes it an easy target for predators. When threatened, the Kakapo remains motionless and silent, which has proved inadequate against predators such as cats and rats.

10. Slow Loris

Slow Loris eating a fruit
Slow Loris is the little monkey with the big round eyes and the surprised emotion on his face. Photo by Diy13
Source: Getty Images
  • Mass: Male 68 grams
  • Trophic level: Omnivorous
  • Lifespan: 20 years
  • Class: Mammalia

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The Slow Loris is a small nocturnal primate native to Southeast Asia, but despite its round eyes and soft fur, it is not gifted in intelligence. It is considered dumb for its silly-looking defence mechanism, as it merely lifts its arms when threatened. It is also foolish enough to walk up to humans without considering the risks involved.

Slow Loris is relaxed to taking safety precautions, counting on its venomous bite, enough to kill a human without prompt attention. While this might seem a clever strategy, the toxic secretion can also harm the Slow Loris if ingested.

11. Komodo Dragon

The huge Komodo Dragon
Komodo Dragons are the largest member of the lizard family. Photo by Kiwisoul
Source: Getty Images
  • Mass: Male 79–91 kg
  • Trophic level: Carnivorous
  • Lifespan: 30 years
  • Class: Reptilia

The Komodo dragon is the largest living species of lizard, and despite its intimidating size and appearance, it is not the brightest creature. These lizards from Indonesia have poor communication skills and do not demonstrate significant problem-solving abilities.

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It does not know when to stop eating, which can result in tremendous weight, slowing its mobility. They also have a highly bacteria-laden mouth that can kill larger animals with a single bite. While its size and strength may be impressive, its cognitive abilities leave much to be desired.

What is the dumbest land animal?

Pandas are considered the world’s stupidest animals. They have a terrible record of rearing and nurturing their young ones, with females killing their offspring.

Which animal has a high IQ?

Chimpanzees are known to be the animals with the highest IQ. However, that is unsurprising, considering they share 98.7% of their DNA with humans.

These are the dumbest animals in the world. Their acts and behaviours are so nonsensical that they seem unbelievably stupid. Lack of defence, problem-solving, and hunting skills are majorly attributed to low intelligence, as seen in the dumbest animals listed above.

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While every dog breed has its unique charm, some are considered scary because of their intimidating appearance. Discover the top scariest dogs.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Bennett Yates avatar

Bennett Yates (Lifestyle writer) Bennett Yates is a content creator with over five years of working experience in journalism and copywriting. He graduated from the University of Nairobi (2017) with a Bachelor's in Information Technology. In 2023, Bennett finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. He started working for Briefly in 2019. You can reach him via email at bennetyates@gmail.com.

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