A Beluga Whale has recently been added to the list of animals that is capable of painting. The whale, named Xiao Qiang, is a resident of China’s Polar Ocean World where trainers noticed that he seemed to like some posters better than others. The trainers decided to see what would happen if they handed him a paintbrush and he’s been actively painting watercolors ever since.

Xiao Qiang is hardly the only animal known for his in-captivity paintings, however. In fact, there are at least 12 other species of animals that have gained attention for their artistic endeavors:

1. Dogs. Attach a paintbrush to a bone and watch Sammy the Foxhound go to town on a canvas.
2. Dolphins. Chinese water parks also show off the painting skills of these smart creatures.
3. Elephants. Several in-captivity elephants paint beautiful pictures with paintbrushes held in their trunks.
4. Horses. A horse named Cholla has painted pieces of art that sell for over $2000 each.
5. Meerkats. Two meerkats at the San Diego Zoo are known for painting with their paws.
6. Parrots. They can talk with their mouths so why shouldn’t they be able to paint with them as well?
7. Pigs. Just look up “Pigcasso” in England.
8. Primates. With hands that aren’t that different from ours it’s no surprise that primates can paint.
9. Raccoons. Raccoons at the Hutchinson Zoo actually push shells and other objects around in paint to create their works of art on paper.
10. Rhinos. A Rhino at the Denver Zoo was taught to paint by her trainers.
11. Sea Lions. The Oregon Coast Aquarium has their sea lions paint with their flippers.
12. Turtles. Koopa the Turtle has pieces of artwork hanging in 35 different states!

There is some debate as to whether or not these animals should be exploited for their ability to paint. Nevertheless, though, you have to admit that these are some cool creatures!

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