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These Might Be the Smartest Animals in the World

2 minute read

A goat boxed with a young boy while a raccoon played the piano and two rabbits reenacted a scene from Romeo and Juliet. Though the I.Q. Zoo in Hot Springs, Ark., might have appeared to be a roadside gimmick, it was actually an important study in psychology and animal behavior. Husband-and-wife team Marian and Keller Breland were not circus showrunners, but rather the first-ever applied animal psychologists.

After determining punishment to be an ineffective motivator, even though it was then a common method in animal training, the Brelands focused their training on the provision of rewards for successfully completed tasks. Both had studied under the eminent behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner, but abandoned graduate study to test the commercial potential of their work. They formed a company, Animal Behavior Enterprises, and later the I.Q. Zoo, to apply principles of human behavior to animals and make an income from that work.

Together, the Brelands appeared on television, traveled to fairs and theme parks, and published an influential article on animal behavior, “The Misbehavior of Organisms.” The paper’s title was both a reference and, controversially, a challenge to Skinner’s earlier article, “The Behavior of Organisms.”

Though LIFE introduced them in 1955 as “Psychologist Keller Breland and his wife,” Marian was the one who would go on to a long career, after Keller’s was cut short by a fatal heart attack in 1965. She went on finish her Ph.D., become a professor at the University of Arkansas and marry Robert E. Bailey, who had served as the Director of Training for the Navy’s Marine Animal Program and with whom she would continue to train animals and offer workshops.

Different animals at the I.Q. Zoo, which remained open into the 1990s, performed differently under pressure. “Despite apparent stupidity,” LIFE wrote, “chickens are among the easiest creatures to train.” As for the trapeze-swinging hamster, “He occasionally falls but remains undaunted.” But perhaps the hardest worker was the pig, who, after being trained to clean up a messy room, was so eager to please that he tried to drag the photographer’s light stand to the trash.

Trainers Marian and Dr. Keller Breland with their pet hamster, 1955.
Trainers Marian and Dr. Keller Breland with their pet hamster.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection

 

Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Putty named for his malleability, has learned to hold a pose indefinitely, knowing that he will then be rewarded with praise or food.
Caption from LIFE. Putty, named for his malleability, has learned to hold a pose indefinitely, knowing that he will then be rewarded with praise or food.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Immaculate pig tips sprinkling can for makeshift shower. Pigs are persistent workers, says Breland, and are easier to train than dogs or horses.
Caption from LIFE. Immaculate pig tips sprinkling can for makeshift shower. Pigs are persistent workers, says Breland, and are easier to train than dogs or horses. Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Energetic splashing drenched bathroom floor. Also trained to clean up a littered room, he tried to haul photographer's light stand to wastebasket.
Caption from LIFE. Energetic splashing drenched bathroom floor. Also trained to clean up a littered room, he tried to haul photographer's light stand to wastebasket.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A goat trained to box with a young boy.
A goat trained to box with a young boy.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Daring descent is made by a hamster as he leaves the top of a post and starts downward on a trapeze. He occasionally falls but remains undaunted.
Caption from LIFE. Daring descent is made by a hamster as he leaves the top of a post and starts downward on a trapeze. He occasionally falls but remains undaunted.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Dangling safely, just above the floor of the cage, the hamster prepares to drop from the trapeze and collect his reward, a food pellet placed in the cage.
Caption from LIFE. Dangling safely, just above the floor of the cage, the hamster prepares to drop from the trapeze and collect his reward, a food pellet placed in the cage.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A raccoon trained to play a miniature piano.
A raccoon trained to play a miniature piano.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Tenuous tightrope is negotiated by a chicken as it places one claw gingerly in front of another. It knows that there is grain at the other end.
Caption from LIFE. Tenuous tightrope is negotiated by a chicken as it places one claw gingerly in front of another. It knows that there is grain at the other end.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Steadying wing is extended to help chicken regain balance on rope. Despite apparent stupidity, chickens are among the easiest creatures to train.
Caption from LIFE. Steadying wing is extended to help chicken regain balance on rope. Despite apparent stupidity, chickens are among the easiest creatures to train.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Two rabbits reenacting a scene from Romeo and Juliet.
Two rabbits reenacting a scene from Romeo and Juliet.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

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Write to Eliza Berman at eliza.berman@time.com