‘Moo’ve over, I want my friend
Cows are often considered fat and idle, and maybe there are a few who think they’re cute. But, how many of you have looked at a herd of cows and wondered which of them are good friends? Seriously, cows are more emotionally complex than we give them credit for. A research conducted in Northampton University found that not only did they prefer the company of cows from their herd, they were happiest in the company of a best friend! The next time you see one on the road, maybe you could ask her to go look for her friend instead of saying, ‘Shoo!’
Giggling and tickles – rats like it too!
Who knew rats enjoyed being tickled as much as we do? A team led by Dr Jaak Panksepp spent two weeks tickling rats and discovered that not only did they enjoy being tickled, but they also giggled in a way only rats can! The sound made by the rats while giggling was similar to the sound they made when they played together, which shows that they are indeed having a good time. Another interesting find was that the rats that didn’t enjoy being tickled tended to be anti-social and neurotic.
Ha, ha… how funny!
Marmosets may be good at small talk, but chimps take the prize for fake laughter. No, it’s not just us humans who fake a laugh even when we don’t get the joke. A research team from University of Portsmouth found that actively engaged chimps responded with real laughter while those chimps nearby that weren’t taking part in the fun, showed a more deliberate, less intense laughter.
Aesop’s fable proved true
Amazingly, crows have been found to have an intelligence equivalent to a 7-year-old kid. A research conducted in New Zealand proved the famous Aesop’s fable true. Yes, crows drop pebbles and solid objects in a tube of water to reach the food in it. That’s not all, though. New Caledonian crows are supposed to be very intelligent they can craft tools like hooks and prodding sticks to pull out grub from logs and branches.
Let’s have a chat
Do you chat with the auto driver when the silence seems too uncomfortable? Or make small talk with a classmate whom you hardly know? Well, it’s not just humans who indulge in small talk… Marmosets, a type of monkey native to South America, also chatter idly. In fact, research found that these monkeys are so polite too… they wait for a few seconds after a monkey chats before putting in their thoughts. A chat session sometimes lasts even for 30 minutes, apparently.
More for less
Are dolphins master bargainers? Dolphins are known for their intelligence, as studies have shown. Particularly interesting is the case of a dolphin called Kelly at the
Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Mississippi. A group of dolphins were trained to pick up pieces of litter in the pool and exchange them for food. Kelly took this one step forward – she hid the paper under a rock, tore pieces of it and handed it over in exchange for food. Kelly clearly knew that tearing the paper up meant more food. Now how cool is that?
Picture Credit : Google
