Eh, our brain:body mass as I get it is fething huge.

For example, let's say, instead of an ape-like template, these aliens developed from something similar to equine species.

@Scale_e that's where you're wrong, kiddo

Citation needed.

@Little Boots go away brony

They might have fewer digits and a drastically different face, but they'd definitely need some way to actually manipulate their environment, meaning that thumbs would still develop in-part.

And also herbivores won't have the time to be smart

(Unironically there are no citations. That's my point.)

@ebinmemes22 again, that can be changed.

Plants don't have the nutrient density necessary

After all, I said equine-like, not equine entirely.

Eh, thing is that horses *are* pretty damned intelligent.

To make a horse into an omnivore you'd need to change lots of things about it

They might look like typical equine species, but they may have different diets/behaviors/whatever from equine species.

They just never got around to being bothered to do tool things.

Humanity *had* to.

Your inner hopeful furry is shining through here tbh

That and their lack of opposable thumbs doesn't help.

No reason.

Dolphins might be close

Place them in an environment that encourages natural selection to have multiple "toes," which can develop into finger-like appendages, and then they could evolve to be intelligent enough to use tools.

Kek

A similar case would be birds.

Birds are extremely intelligent.

Kek [2]

To develop those sorts of things your species needs to live in the tree

There's another thing

Hands evolved for tree climbing

what would non-carbon based life look like

It wouldn't

bruh

There is no substitute for the versatility of carbon chemistry

silicon lifeforms exist

Why bother developing tools when everything that's needed is provided by form?

No substitute at all

No, they don't.

Carbon or bust

you say that

Silicon can't form double bonds or silicon-silicon bonds

@ebinmemes22 which is what I was going to explain until you interrupted me.