Elaine sent me more evidence of fish intelligence. Researchers have discovered that certain fish can count. But only up to four. According to the London Telegraph:
Previously it was known that fish could tell big shoals from small ones, but researchers have now found that they have a limited ability to count how many other fish [...]
If I saw it on Digg, it must be good, right? The Presurfer writes:
These video clips are from the film, Daylight Robbery II, which aired on the Discovery Channel in November of 1995. It was produced by the B.B.C. and presented by Dr. Jessica Holm.
In any event, it’s amazing stuff:
We have a lot of squirrels [...]
Tags: Cute · Learning · Movies
Birds are smart. But some birds are smarter than others. I’ve mentioned before the tool-making skills of New Caledonian crows. Turns out these animal are capable of complex problem-solving. Here’s what Rebecca Morelle says, writing for the BBC:
A University of Auckland study has revealed that New Caledonian crows can use separate tools in quick succession [...]
Lynn forwarded a story from Fox News about cultural transmission in chimpanzees. Charles Q. Choi reports:
In the wild, chimpanzee troops are often distinct from one another, possessing collections of up to 20 traditions or customary behaviors that altogether seem to form unique cultures.
Such practices include various forms of tool use, including hammers and pestles; [...]
Tags: Implications · Learning · Research
The Washington Post has a fascinating article about a new study of canine behavior.
New research is adding to the growing evidence that man’s best friend thinks a lot more than many humans have believed. The provocative new experiment indicated that dogs can do something that previously only humans, including infants, have been shown capable [...]
Sally at Veggie Revolution has posted an interesting piece summarizing an article from Science News. Researchers have observed certain dolphins making use of tools. Sally writes:
Not too long ago, scientists used to believe that “tool use” was one of the characteristics that set humans apart from all other animals.
We now know that animals do use [...]
Via AV Geeks, here’s the story of Squeak the squirrel, an educational film from 1957.
Shows how a gold-mantled ground squirrel at Crater Lake National Park has learned to solve problems connected with getting food. Illustrates how an animal can learn to find food that is hidden from view or out of reach.
This is [...]
An Animal Intelligence reader (I’m sorry, I don’t remember whom) alerted me to a recent article in The New York Times about recent research into the brains of chimpanzees.
Chimps display a remarkable range of behavior and talent. They make and use simple tools, hunt in groups and engage in aggressive, violent acts. They are [...]
Tags: Current Events · Learning · Research
Science News reports that researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered that some birds have a concept of time that includes the future, and that they’re able to plan their meals accordingly.
The strongest evidence yet that animals plan ahead may come from western scrub jays preparing for their morning meals.
Plenty of animals perform actions [...]
Tags: Behavior · Learning · Research
I believe that animals are intelligent. I believe that they have rich emotional lives and complex relationships with other animals (and with humans). I believe that many (most?) animal species possess some form of communication.
Those who espouse this sort of belief are often told, “Don’t make the mistake of anthropomorphizing animal behavior.” That is, [...]
A couple of people sent me this article from CNN which describes how chimps may have been using tools for thousands of years. It reads in part:
Chimpanzees may have been using stone “hammers” as long as 4,300 years ago, an international research team, led by archaeologist Julio Mercader of the University of Calgary, Canada, said [...]
Tags: Current Events · Learning · Tools
Animal Intelligence reader Nicole forwarded a story about birds who have learned to “rap”. That is, certain birds living in cities have learned to modify their song to increase their chances of finding a mate. Here’s the full text of the article:
Birds living in cities are performing a type of “avian rap” while their rural [...]
Florida’s manatees are an endangered species. These lumbering sea cows have no natural predators, but increased contact with humans has hurt their population. From the wikipedia:
Many manatees are injured or killed by collisions with powerboats. Manatees occasionally ingest fishing gear (hooks, metal weights, etc.) while feeding. These foreign materials do not seem to harm [...]
It’s been a while, eh? No worries — I have no plans to abandon this site.
Here’s a video from Japanese television in which a chimp (?) plays Ms. Pac-Man.
I wish I could understand what the narrator is saying. I think it would add a great deal of meaning. It’s clear that the researchers are [...]