Just made me think. Do the animals that win so much become smart because they're the top, or do they become smart then hit the top of the food chain?

Always column a and b… but I can almost guarantee mammalian apex predators get smarter the higher they are on the food chain due to increased and varied food supplies. Giving it a better and stronger reinforcement mechanism for increased intelligence…

Neat.

Ants, bees, humans, orcas, wolves, elephants, birbs…

I suppose the key is making sure to have pack behavior too. Loners like Crocs, great whites, etc too good to need to adapt plus aren't social.