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Rounding up our favorite animal stories, photos, and videos on the Web each week! Sneaky, Sneaky Hippo A 4000lb hippo escaped from a zoo in Montenegro. That makes sense, considering how quiet and hard-to-see a hippo is. [via Telegraph.co.uk] Chihuahua Update The 15 Chihuahuas from last week have all become official New Yorkers. That means they're always in a hurry and they don't like tourists. [via AFP] Mmm... Chicken More than ever people are keeping chickens as pets. A TV show called "The Chicken Whisperer" is right around the corner. [via PetMD] Monkey Convo Monkey-talk has been translated. Turns out they don't have that much to say. [via New York ...

How smart is your dog? Photo: TheGiantVermin/Flickr Dogs are cuddly, playful, loyal -- and smart. But you totally already knew that. Now science tells us just how smart they really are. The average dog has mental abilities akin to those of a two-year-old child, according to Stanley Coren, a dog expert and professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia. Coren presented an overview of dog-intelligence studies at the American Psychological Association's annual meeting this week. In tests of language development, Coren said, the average dog can learn 165 words, including signals and gestures. That's comparable to the performance of a two-year-old toddler. The brainiest breeds can ...