I'm pretty sure that many animals 'think', store memories that lead to learning, and even dream. Dogs definitely dream Not all perhaps but certainly there is lots of evidence. Some of it is genetically hard wired in us all, as animals, but some of the wiring can certainly be influenced by environment and living. Only human arrogance could maintain a position of thinking only they can think and retain thought.

There are lots of references on the internet about animals dreaming, thought processes and memory retention. But even without them I would be happy to stae that many animals memorise and plan. Where it not so we would not have got to where we are. The same chemical processes that drive our thought patterns evolved in the animals... then all of a sudden Homo sp. seemed to take a giant leap in the brain size stakes. At some point we would have been pretty equal to some other promates and, even now, some primates can out perform infants to a point.

We humans are in our infancy at understanding how we think, learn, retain and call upon knowledge, use emotions and what they actually are. At a personal opinion level I really have no problem at all with allowing for many animals to have many of the human traits when it comes to mind.

How often have we all pondered what it must be like to be another creature? Watching an octopus sort out an extreme maze and being mischevious in it's lab tank? Seeing how a jumping spider uses prior experience to plan its next attack and lie in ambush of prey. Looking at our pet dog dreaming when asleep and wondering what is going through their heads? Two goldfish sitting in a bowl and one saying to the other, as they look at the people in a room, "I could site here all day and watch them" ;-)

WE got it from the animals so they must have had it in the first place

I think!

mp