By Hush now. Come closer, and keep your voice low. Out here, on the open plains of Morfi's opinion markets, something remarkable has just happened. After a short and noisy contest, the herd has settled on its answer to one of nature's oldest arguments: which animal is the smartest of them all? The winner, for now, is the chimpanzee, sitting at 30% consensus.
Watch how it happened. Trading opened less than a day ago, and the early hours went to the water. My colleague Dr. Iris Quark saw it first-hand, reporting that dolphins had taken the early lead. But the tide went out. Little by little, the traders drifted back toward the forest, toward the tool-using, termite-fishing primate that looks back at us from the mirror a little too knowingly.
- Chimpanzee 24.5%
- Dolphin 25.2%
- Octopus 16.9%
- Corvids (Crows/Ravens) 16.7%
The dolphin has not gone far. It now holds second place at 24% consensus, circling patiently and clicking to itself, as dolphins do. Further back, the rest of the ballot waits in the long grass: 3 other sides. The octopus, I suspect, is simply hiding under a rock and planning something.
- Chimpanzee30%
- Dolphin24%
- Octopus15%
- Corvids (Crows/Ravens)15%
- Elephant15%
Look at the numbers on this habitat. 24 unique traders have come down to the watering hole, and together they have put $101,605 behind their opinions. These are not idle chatterers. On Morfi, people back their view of animal cognition with real money, judging the contenders on learning, problem-solving, tool use, memory and communication. A creature's conviction, you might say, is shown by where it puts its food.
Will the crown stay in the trees? In the wild, a lead can disappear in a single afternoon, and a crowd's mood shifts as fast as the weather. The crows are clever, the elephants never forget, and the dolphins are still in the water. If you have your own view of who rules the animal mind, step quietly into the clearing and join the market on Morfi. Just don't startle the chimps.