Rat

The rat, at number ten on our list of the smartest animals, is a highly clever yet much-reviled mammal in Western societies. The rat, on the other hand, is revered in Chinese culture for its cunning and resourcefulness, and for good cause. Except for Antarctica, it has successfully invaded every continent on the planet. And, if history is any guide, they'll arrive far too soon. The lab rat, which is often utilized in research, has been known to uncover shortcuts, loopholes, and escape routes in laboratory studies devised by the world's greatest scientists.

In reality, highly trained rats have saved thousands of lives by sniffing out landmines and identifying tuberculosis (TB) in humans all across the world. Rats trained by the Tanzanian nonprofit APOPO – which stands for "Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling" in Dutch and "Anti-Personnel Landmines Detection Product Development" in English – have discovered 18,300 cases of tuberculosis and destroyed 108,736 landmines and unexploded ordnances.

According to APOPO, a rat can inspect the area around a tennis court for mines in 30 minutes, but a human may take four days using a metal detector. It can also screen 100 sputum samples for tuberculosis in under 20 minutes, compared to four days for a lab staff using traditional testing. Rats can even learn to play hide & seek as if that wasn't astounding enough.

Scientific Name : Rattus