A study discovered that bickering macaques made the effort to extend their social network by making more relationships to aid survival under the dire circumstances of an ecological disaster as occurred when a hurricane devastated the primates’ Caribbean island home. The vegetation was striped from …
A recent study found that when humans transferred from being hunter-gatherers to farming their pet dogs’ diet changed from meat to plant-based foods. When grey wolves first became domesticated and became domestic dogs they would have been eating meat almost exclusively but with the advent …
Puget Sound, Seattle, Washington, USA: Researchers have discovered that a formerly unknown chemical, 6PPD, in vehicle tires (tyres) which preserves them from ground level ozone, ends up killing salmon in streams. Bits if tire are thrown off tires due to wear and tear. Rain water …
Yes, horses are one of a rare group of species who appear to have self-awareness and are able to recognise themselves in a mirror. The testing process is called mirror self-recognition (MSR). The degree of recognition appears to be variable and is not a black-and-white …
We know that octopuses are highly intelligent creatures and to that knowledge we can add a new discovery, namely that the eight tentacles of an octopus respond independently of the octopus’s brain and eyes to recoil from light as it signifies potential danger. In a …
Cuttlefish have to ability to exercise self-control which is used to attain a better reward than if they have sought immediate gratification. There is a test which finds out if kids are going to live fruitful lives and perhaps be leaders. They are presented with …
I’ve always wondered about the kind of impact that visitors have on the emotional state of animals in zoos. Do the animals like the presence of human visitors or the opposite? There is an article today in The Times newspaper which helps me with an …
Pigs can play computer games. A study tested the ability of four pigs: Hamlet, Omelette, Ebony and Ivory. They each had their own personalities. They were taught to play a basic computer game. It is similar to the game called ‘Pong’. They were trained on …
The intelligence of the domestic dog varies considerably. We know this because some clever dogs can quickly learn human words in large numbers while others can’t. A study published yesterday in the journal Scientific Reports found that Whisky, a border collie from Norway was able …
