Animals that are the best at Imitating Human Behavior

One of this most fascinating things to watch is animals behaving just like we do. It shows they're more than just living organisms with instincts. Some animals can copy human sounds or actions. And it's just like how people copy each other. That's basically how we learn anyways.

Learning is necessary for survival. If you identify something as safe or a threat, it influences your decision the next time.

A lot of mammals can observe repetitive events that lead to something. For instance, a nice an owner makes before they give food to their pets. The pet learns that sound and associates it to food.

The smart and social animals are often the ones that are best at imitating. They copy to communicate, to get food or build social bonds with people and other organisms.

At the top of the list are Chimpanzees and Orangutans. Orangutans are amazing imitators because they learn effectively just by watching others. In many zoos, they have been seen brushing teeth, washing clothes, or drinking with straws. Some argue they've been trained to do that, it's not always the case but the fact that they could be trained to do that shows they're capable of doing that.

They don't just copy any random action, they copy actions with purpose and that shows they understand what they are doing and what they hope to gain from what they're doing.

This makes Orangutans one of the most human like animals in how they learn.

This fella opened a Juice Box on his own

https://youtube.com/shorts/gSnIjxVKlqo?si=HoY4yZlKLViTVosj

Chimpanzees also copy people and other chimps very well. They can learn how to open boxes in the manner they see the person opening it. They use sticks and break nuts by watching others do it first. The baby chimps copy their mothers closely to learn how to find food and how to stay safe.

This advanced level of learning for animals is a very big part of chimp culture in the wild.

Next on the list are dolphins

Dolphins are really great at copying both sounds and movements. They can repeat a person’s actions, like waving or spinning, even underwater. Some dolphins are capable of also copying new whistle sounds after hearing them once.

Dolphins have surprisingly strong memories and can vividly remember what they copied.

Third on the list are parrots

Parrots as you may already know are famous for copying human speech. Especially the African Grey Parrots. When they talk, you might think it's an actual person talking. They are able to repeat words, laughter and even the tone of a person’s voice, that one always freaks me out.

• Just take a look at this parrot that cried just like a baby. The moment it noticed making that sound guarantees attention, it has become the go to sound to make.

https://youtube.com/shorts/-JtHF8NSoNc?si=cqUoT49IrWWlyXcU

One parrot named Alex could name colors and count objects and even answer different questions about the same object. It is absolutely fascinating to see a bird do something like that.

Parrots use imitation to bond with people and also fit into their social group. If bonding with people gets them better survival chances, they probably evolved to do that well.

Speaking of birds, next on the list are Ravens and Crows, they're also clever imitators.

They can copy human voices or natural sounds like animal calls or the sound of machines. Ravens in the wild use their sound imitation ability to trick other animals or to get food.

• Elephants, mynah birds and seals can also copy sounds and actions. They have learned to speak simple words, make human like noises or move like people.

All of this shows that imitation exists across many kinds of animals, on land, in the air, and in the sea. It's an evolutionary mechanism primarily for survival.