Polar bears are just as smart as apes, according to research scientist Alison Ames. Their success at hunting seals may be a sign of their brain power.
"This is learned behavior and reveals that polar bears are very intelligent animals. They are highly cognitive creatures that top the food chain in polar regions. You have to be very clever to do that. Hunting and trapping a seal is no easy matter."
Ames has watched bears smash open ice blocks in order to extract embedded fish. And she has seen bears stack heaps of plastic pipe that they later knock over in elaborate games.
