Betty White Meets the Smartest Animals in America

Follow Betty White as she discovers the real brains of the Animal Kingdom in Betty White's Smartest Animals in America. Meet all of her furry (and not so furry) friends!

Betty White Cuddles Teacup Pig

Betty White may be known for her many successful years as an actress, but her true passion is meeting and spending time with intelligent animals.

Betty White Feeds White Rhino

Big or small, furry, scaly or smooth, Betty loves all kinds of animals and their hidden talents.

Betty White and Msholo, an African Bull Elephant

At San Diego Safari Park, Betty visited Msholo, a 6-ton African bull elephant, who demonstrated her impressive sniffing abilities by tracking down a tiny piece of ginger located a few hundred feet away.

Msholo and Two Other African Elephants

Contributing to elephants' keen sense of smell, their massive brains have 257 billion brain cells, which is three times as many as the human brain.

Two African Elephants at San Diego Safari Park

With 157,000 muscles, elephants' trunks are even more agile than a human arm.

Benzy the Honey Badger at San Diego Safari Park

Benzy the honey badger may look innocent, but this small creature can open any lock or contraption set in front of her. Honey badgers are deceptively destructive and very inquisitive.

Betty White Meets Bengal Tiger at Safari Park

The tiger is one of Betty's all-time favorite animals. She visited and helped feed a Bengal tiger at the San Diego Safari Park.

Betty White Prompts Bengal Tiger to Stand Up

With a little prompting, the tiger stood on her hind legs so the keepers could collect blood samples and trim her nails.

Pair of Siamang Gibbon Apes

Betty also watched Siamang gibbons swing through trees at up to 35 mph. These apes regularly break into songs comprised of complex patterns and rhythms. Each pair's song combines three types of unique vocal patterns, which strengthen lifelong bonds and serve as territorial alerts.

Betty White With Hobbs the Kea Parrot

A curious, playful New Zealand Kea parrot named Hobbs also resides at the San Diego Zoo.

Hobbs the New Zealand Kea Parrot, San Diego Zoo

Although Hobbs' brain is the size of a walnut, his species is one of the smartest animals in America. Some experts say Keas are as smart as a 4-year-old child.

Betty White With Pixie Pigs and Breeder

Meet the most adorable mammals on the planet – tiny teacup and micro-mini pigs, also known as Pixie™pigs.

Beverly Hills Teacup Pig Sir Francis Bacon

Betty met teacup pig Sir Francis Bacon in Beverly Hills.

Micro-Mini and Teacup "Pixie" Piglets Sleeping

Unlike dogs, pigs recognize themselves in the mirror. At just 10 weeks old, pigs can identify the reflection of a bowl of food, and then navigate around an obstacle to reach the food.

Koko the Gorilla and Betty White

The two met in 2006 and reunited in 2014. Koko, who speaks in sign language, expressed emotions of sadness after watching a touching film.

Betty White with Primo the Dolphin

Dolphins are the smartest animals in the world, which is why the U.S. Navy recruits them to seek out underwater weapons using their built-in sonar.

Betty White and Primo the Dolphin

Primo, whom Betty visited at the University of Santa Cruz, recognized himself in a mirror even though his appearance was altered by a small white circle on his "melon."

Betty White with Primo the Dolphin

Aiding in sound recognition, the melon is the rounded front part of a dolphin's forehead.

Chaser the Border Collie Book

The average dog can learn up to 165 words, but Chaser knows over 1,000. With training from her owner, John W. Pilley, Jr., she recognizes every one of her thousands of toys and learned the name of a new toy through deductive reasoning. (Photo courtesy of Chaserthebordercollie.com.)

When Betty introduced a male doll named Robert, Chaser promptly selected it among other toys when her owner asked her to get "Robert."