My impression is that “smart” animals are always social animals. The link being that social interaction requires a level of cognitive ability that being solitary or just pair-bound does not, because they have to mentally model how other members of the group perceive each other in order to be effective at group interactions. Then that cognitive ability is flexible enough that it can be used for other things like solving puzzles, etc. So I’ve long thought that it was weird that octopuses were supposed to be solitary.
Are there any other supposedly solitary animals that are considered “smart?”
