An Alarming Level of Intelligence

[HaveCrowBarWillTravel]

Ra1th, the "ROAR" is call to arms and a dinner bell in my mind. Now, when they all get in one area they're able to automatically or instinctively "share" their intelligence...
Nik,
your empirical data aka hard evidence may probably be found in the episode where Datu was "Captured." Remember, they didn't jump on him when he fell through the trap. They had "ROLES" by being there and waiting. Orders to follow by not eating him and putting him in the room. What I do know about watching Ants is that they will take stuff back instead of consuming it right where they find it. Why? Teeth may be able to answer that
Also, does anyone think it was pure chance that the power plant- where Mike was injured- was infested by a behemoth?
Seems like strategy to me.
I'm not suggesting the "Hive Mind" is an actual intelligence, but more instinctive. The more you have in one area, the smarter they tend to be, the more organized they act. Not, "Hey used to be named Bob, you got left and used to be named Nicole..you got right."
Episode 18 had a "Wave" of creatures heading towards Mike and crew right? Clearly that shows they're working in concert for a purpose. They weren't chasing anything or anyone and it most def didn't seem random. It felt as it was probably a fairly common tactic in that area.
Send out the workers to find food and when you do, report...er ROAR!

[Wicked Sid]

They seem to run in packs, sometimes with a Smart One agumenting their strategies, using their group size and tactics they've developed from encountering other survivors. I see it more as gained intelligence rather than a collective hive mind. They tend to learn as any other organism does. We haven't exactly seen a pack (strike team?) run by a smart one yet but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

[HaveCrowBarWillTravel]

Sid,

Chap 5 "Lady and the Tink"
They actually are in a pack when they're chasing Saul, Lizzie and Burt. They see a smart one on the roof watching them. When go Exit Stage Left, they have a few "runners" on their 6. They pop a few then guess what? The creatures are "CALLED" back!
What does that tell you about their intelligence?

[Th3_T3ch]

I don't think that there is any hive mentality going on here. You have the smart ones that work alone, Ink who is somehow controlling them, the behemoths that are left alone by every other zombie/flesh biter except other behemoths, and jumpers which, from what I've pieced together, stick in large packs but don't follow the group (see jumpers and Tommy).

[Ra1th]

Crowbar i like ur idea of it beng an instinct. Im not as big a fan of hve mind jst because we and all the species we have encountered have biolIgically lacked the necessities needed for telepathic communications. But an antlike hive INSTINCT, now that is very intriguing.

[HaveCrowBarWillTravel]

Ants still act on a Hive mentality like Bees. You guys are thinking direct telepathic contact. It's mass intelligence. The larger the unit the "smarter" they act, the more organized/in concert they are. Having said that, they are communicating at some level way above intinct. Like the example I gave above. They're able to be called (which isn't that special), but being able to understand a command to stop and to return on command is. Well, now that I think about it.. it's no different than dog training, with the one exception of them all basically being the same species now.

[wooly]

(snip)...we've never actually seen smart ones working together with other smart ones, usually the smart one's work alone (like with burt) i think the only one who was actually commanding other zombies as soldiers (that we've seen happen) is Ink, but i could be wrong

This is why I think there is a hierarchy instead of a hive/group mind. Recall the scene at the Arena when the group of creatures came for Samantha. One creature stood at the door observing while the others sniffed and chose their victim. (side question : what were they sniffing and why did that smell test result in shifting their choice from Kalani to Samantha?) The observer struck me as acting like a sergeant in charge of a squad.

Varying degrees of "smart ones" filling different ranks as their ability allows?

[wooly]

We've wandered far afield in this thread, let's put it together and see what we have now that a few more chapters have gone by. We don't know everything about the Smart Ones, but there are enough clues and observations to assemble a beginning personality profile.

We have observed:
- increased strength
- increased speed
- increased stamina
- some ability to retain language comprehension and usage (Ink in the Tower)
- the ability to recognize the relevance of technology (the tracker trap)
- the ability to use self-restraint (live prisoners being taken)
- related to self-restraint, the adult skill of delayed gratification (the arena prisoners, saved "for weeks" between events)
- communications at some detailed level (giving of orders)
- planning and executing coordinated attacks (Ink observing above the vehicle ambush and on the rooftop during the War)
- enforcing discipline in the creature lower orders (he bellows, they obey - why I don't know)
- the ability to manipulate technology (the keypad and possibly driving the blocking vehicle at the convoy ambush site)
- while not proven, I agree that the Behemoths were stationed intentionally at both the water pumping facility and at the military base. Both are known high-value assets to humans (other survivor groups had utilized both) and I could see leaving a Behemoth as a walking trap. This would indicate long-term strategic thinking if true.

Have I missed anything?

That is indeed an alarming level of intelligence in your enemy.

[Rune]

Or these ppl were the 1st to be infected, I thought it could have been the purity of the strain that gives you cool powers after death. (I bags behemoth at the least, if not I wanna be the tatttooed one)

[nikvoodoo]

Have I missed anything?

That is indeed an alarming level of intelligence in your enemy.

The only thing I can think of quickly that you missed is Self Preservation. For example: the zombie that jumps behind the desk, and Ink and Tommy playing possum after being shot.