What animal would gain sentience?

[Raddragon]

Well dolphins could never become the next dominant species because they can never master fire. Without fire, they could never really advance and create a viable civilisation. Pigs are pretty smart though so I would probably go with them or some kind of monkey.

Monkeys have good memory but I think pigs are probably smarter. Still, I didn't know pigs had opposable thumbs to discover fire with.

 

[Metalix Knightmare]

House cats. They'd evolve thumbs to finally open the food and it'll all be a matter of time after that.

Heaven help the planet if the CHIMPS of all things take our place. As bad as we've been to the planet, I have no doubt Chimpanzees would be far worse. Just look up what female chimps do to bush-babies.

 

[cynicalandbored]

Possibly, and this is interesting, birds!
There are very intelligent and social birds that have developed massive cerebellums (while retaining a rather small cerebrum) with the cerebellum fulfilling similar roles to the cerebrum in mammals. They cooperate in experiments to get food, they imitate behaviour and learn, they even use primitive tools (such as simple sticks) to accomplish their goals.
An intelligent bird-people? Quite possible!

I'm with you on this. The New Caledonian Crow's got a huge amount of intelligence for an animal. And the dinosaurs were the dominant species on the planet before mammals. It's entirely possible their descendants could do it again.

 

[kid_with_camera]

Dogs, stupid. DUH.
ahem. its more about diet then anything, really: look at what we eat, and then look at the smarter dog owners and what they feed their dogs. 4 food groups, with decent variety.
Plus, my dog will one day play video games with me using his specially built ps3 controller harness and the ULTIMATE WINGMAN WILL BE BORN!!!
seriously, if my dog can figure out how to open lever style tupperware which is beyond certain humans, soon they will be like author Dean Koontz's dogs, a perfect companion species for mankind. After all, the negative things humans desire almost don't intersect with those of dogs, but we most certainly want the same positive things dogs want.

Behold!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf1N4KlxnJk

 

[hem dazon 90]

octopus I am thouroghly convinced their sentient already though

 

[PezNic]

Butterflies. Because nobody ever suspects, the butterfly!

 

[vrbtny]

Guinea-pigs......





South park nudge nudge wink wink

 

[quiet_samurai]

At a human level? None, because they would have to be a completely differant organism then they currently are. Besides Chimps and Orangutangs already show a form of sentiance.

 

[Crowghast]

Ants. They already practice some of the more advanced techniques most anthropologists consider to be the marks of "civilization". What do they do exactly? Besides kill each other in large scale organized war? And capturing prisoners and condemning them to slavery?

They farm. Seriously. They farm fungus and other insects.

That is [i\]bad[b\]ass[/b][/i].

Plus, almost all of them are female.

I wish [i\][b\]I[/b][/i] were one of the few male ants.

[i\]"Yeah baby, you go ahead and invite all six-hundred thousand of your sisters."[/i]

 

[Enigmers]

I would have to say cats, they're planning something.

 

[GODoftheRIGOVERSE]

I saw the original "The future is wild" documentary and it says Squids will take over in a couple hundred million yrs after man

[http://photobucket.com/images/squidbillies]

 

[Zedzero]

Jellyfish

/thread

 

[sgtshock]

I agree with the elephant and the squid/octopus, simply because they have the arms/trunks to interact with things, which lets them learn easier and potentially build things. Kind of like the War of the Worlds book, where it talked about intelligent life needing a "hand" to help them learn problem solving.

Why?

I don't know, just seems like something to talk about.
If you're asking about why elephants using their noses as arms would be bad, just imagine them picking up toxic chemicals and accidently smelling them. Or cleaning up anything that smells bad.

True, but don't we handle toxic chemicals with the same appendages that we use to eat? I'm sure they could invent trunk-gloves or something.

 

[Connosaurus Rex]

None. They'd have to evolve into another creature with sentience.

But anyway, you'd be talking about chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, something like that. Chimpanzees are most likely.

Underwater, squid or octopus might. I'm not sure dolphins would, because I think tool use creates sentience and they don't have the right limbs.

I would actually say orangutans since they have been shown to use tools so they would probably be able to learn more.

 

[The Warden]

squids. no seriously, thay allready have the intelligence of a 5 year old (some species at least).

"Don't let the bedsharks bite!"
I say chimps.

 

[oppp7]

I agree with the elephant and the squid/octopus, simply because they have the arms/trunks to interact with things, which lets them learn easier and potentially build things. Kind of like the War of the Worlds book, where it talked about intelligent life needing a "hand" to help them learn problem solving.

Why?

I don't know, just seems like something to talk about.
If you're asking about why elephants using their noses as arms would be bad, just imagine them picking up toxic chemicals and accidently smelling them. Or cleaning up anything that smells bad.

True, but don't we handle toxic chemicals with the same appendages that we use to eat? I'm sure they could invent trunk-gloves or something.

Ya, but a trunk is closer to an orriface than a hand. Plus they would only have one appendage.

 

[Pingieking]

Lab rats. Followed quickly by dolphins.

 

[blindthrall]

Cuttlefish. They have a visual language. Squids are more clever predators. Octopus have problem solving skills, but only live five years, which severely limits development.