What If Animals Were As Smart as Us?

WHAT IF

11/8/2023

Would we cooperate or fight?

Transcript

00:00 (snoring)

00:03 King of the jungle?

00:04 (snoring)

00:05 Maybe.

00:06 King of the world?

00:08 "I'm the king of the world!"

00:11 That's us.

00:13 But what if we weren't the dominant species on this planet?

00:17 What if we had to compete

00:19 with every other species on Earth?

00:22 Even Mr. Cuddles?

00:26 This is WHAT IF,

00:28 and here's what would happen

00:29 if all animals were as smart as humans.

00:34 We're outnumbered,

00:36 we're surrounded,

00:38 and our bargaining position is not very good.

00:43 After all, humans and animals

00:45 don't have the sunniest history.

00:47 Every day, nearly 3 billion animals

00:50 are processed for human consumption.

00:53 And more than 100 million animals

00:55 are used in clinical

00:56 and commercial product tests every year.

01:00 In the 850 zoos across the world,

01:02 there are said to be 15,000 different species

01:05 held in captivity.

01:07 And for the animals that are free,

01:10 development and ecological damage,

01:13 not to mention poaching,

01:14 pose a constant threat to their survival.

01:17 For thousands of years,

01:19 it's been a pitched battle.

01:21 Now it's an even playing field.

01:23 Animals are as smart as humans.

01:26 Monkey see,

01:27 monkey do.

01:31 Even with the way things are today,

01:33 the wild world is a dangerous one.

01:36 Elephants can squash you,

01:38 mosquitoes spread malaria,

01:40 and even some snails carry parasites

01:42 that infect 20,000 people per year.

01:45 But would equal intelligence

01:46 amongst the world's species

01:48 lead to an all-out war between man and beast?

01:52 If so, primates are our biggest threat.

01:56 Chimpanzees share 99% of our DNA.

02:00 But they're stronger than us,

02:02 they're smart enough to learn how to use a computer,

02:05 and with their opposable thumbs,

02:07 they can pull a trigger.

02:09 Humans would still have the advantage, however,

02:11 since we've had centuries

02:13 to learn and improve our technology,

02:15 while chimps would struggle to adapt.

02:18 And in the meantime,

02:19 we might also have our hands full

02:21 just fighting off large predators,

02:23 like lions, and tigers,

02:26 and rhinos, and bears.

02:28 Of course, this is all just the worst-case scenario.

02:32 Realistically, animals would continue to act

02:34 as they do today.

02:36 They'd still hunt or forage for food,

02:38 and seek safe shelter.

02:40 They'd just be a lot better at it.

02:42 Large predators might be more cunning,

02:45 while herbivores or grazers

02:47 might get better at hiding,

02:48 or at least avoiding large open fields.

02:52 As for our chimp problem,

02:54 it might not be a problem at all.

02:56 Studies show that primates have emotions,

02:59 and are capable of empathy.

03:01 We may end up bonding with them,

03:03 and coexisting as companions.

03:06 So far, we've focused on the big and obvious threats,

03:10 but it's the ones we can't see

03:12 that are likely to cause the most trouble.

03:15 Bacteria.

03:17 These microorganisms outnumber the cells in our bodies 10 to 1.

03:22 And since overusing antibiotics

03:24 has only made bacteria more resistant,

03:27 just imagine the damage they could do

03:29 if they were as smart as us.

03:31 Now, it's true that there's also good bacteria,

03:34 but even so,

03:35 do you really want your body to be a constant war zone

03:38 between thousands of microscopic geniuses?

03:42 Fortunately, a man-beast evolutionary smackdown

03:46 just isn't going to happen.

03:48 But let's not take our dominance for granted.

03:51 We all share the same planet,

03:53 and being the smartest makes it our duty

03:56 to protect the Earth and all forms of life.

04:00 What would we do without animals?

04:02 Well, that's a story for another WHAT IF.

04:06 ♪ ♪

04:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]

What If Animals Were As Smart as Us?

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