Most pet owners believe their pets are both intelligent and sensitive. After all, they understand commands, sense moods and know just how to get what they want. In some ways, they anticipate owners' behavior as accurately as owners do theirs. Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes narrates the miniseries, which includes a special introduction by long-time Nature host George Page, who has written a companion book of the same title to be published by Doubleday.
Humans have a natural tendency to attribute human-like characteristics to animal behavior.
In addition, anthropomorphizing animals may lead to false conclusions. From pigeons to primates, dolphins to sheep, scientists have devised ingenious ways to test the reasoning powers of certain species. One test involves ravens that learn to fish using fishing lines. The project was born when ravens were discovered stealing trout from baited lines left in the water overnight by unsuspecting fishermen. The birds retrieved the lines by hauling them up in short segments, using their feet to secure each length as they pulled.