animal-behavior

There is experimental data that helps to explain why dogs often turn around in circles before laying down and it's all about comfort.

Cats who mysteriously stop eating may not be full, but simply bored, a new study...

Despite the popularity of therapy dogs working to support human well-being, little research has examined the impact of these sessions on dog well-being. Do dogs enjoy this work?

Macaques have learned to eat soil to avert gut irritation caused by salty and sugary snacks, researchers believe Troops of monkeys living on the Rock of Gibraltar have learned to eat soil in what scientists believe is an effort to settle their stomachs after all the junk food they receive – and sometimes steal – from crowds of tourists. Researchers spotted the intentional mud eating, known as geo…

New research has revealed dairy calves which are fed less complete tasks faster and remember more in pursuit of milk, but miss out on play.

Conventional diagnostic approaches to canine attachment and separation-related behaviors rely primarily on behavioral outcomes observed during induced separation from the caregiver. While widely adopted, separation-based assessments may conflate superficially similar behaviors that arise from fundamentally different caregiver–dog relational structures (e.g., secure regulation vs. avoidant disenga…

A horse’s whinny is a distinctive and instantly recognizable sound, which the animals use to communicate with each other and express emotions. But this unique vocalization has long puzzled scientists, since it includes both high- and low-pitched components. Now, researchers say they may have solved this equine mystery. A horse makes the low-pitched part of its whinny by vibrating its vocal cords—…

How horses whinny has long been a mystery. The sound is quite distinct from any other in the animal kingdom. And now scientists think they’ve discovered why: horses whinny by producing sounds at two frequencies at the same time—much like singing and whistling simultaneously. The findings, which were published on Monday in Current Biology, suggest horses produce sounds at two frequencies in two di…

Imagination—the ability to conjure up ideas, images or scenarios that don’t exist in the here and now—has long been considered a uniquely human trait. But new research suggests we may not be the only species with rich mental lives capable of going beyond the present moment. At least one bonobo—a late, captive animal named Kanzi—appears to have been able to identify pretend objects, according to a…

A bonobo demonstrated the ability to track imaginary objects in controlled tests, challenging the belief that imagination is uniquely human and hinting at deep evolutionary roots. In a set of carefully designed experiments modeled on children’s tea parties, researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that an ape could engage in pretend play. The results mark [...]

THE horse stands quietly as the experimenter approaches, a cotton pad stapled inside a lycra muzzle fitted over her nostrils. She’s breathing normally through the fabric, but something is different this time. When the experimenter extends a hand during the grooming test, the mare keeps her distance, touching the human significantly less than she did yesterday. Later, when an umbrella suddenly sna…

In preparation for winter, the common shrew (Sorex araneus) shrinks its brain by 30 percent...

Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses how scientists are beginning to study animals’ emotions and personalities — from joy to individual temperament.

Scientists have long focused on quantifying fear and other negative emotions in animals. Now they’re trying to measure positive feelings — and it’s a challenge.

Veronika the cow uses a brush as a tool to scratch herself, revealing rare problem-solving skills and expanding what we know of tool use in animals.

A rare group of dogs learned new toy labels by listening in on their owners’ talk.

Spelling out W-A-L-K to avoid setting off your dog has become a rite of passage for pet owners. But for a small group of unusually gifted dogs, even that might not work. Researchers in Hungary have found that some dogs can pick up new words simply by listening to their owners talk to someone else. The study, published in Science, tested ten dogs that already knew the names of dozens, sometimes hu…

New research shows “gifted word learning” pups have surprising verbal aptitude The post Genius Dogs Can Learn Words Like Toddlers appeared first on Nautilus .

Video from the Haíɫzaqv Nation Indigenous community shows a wolf hauling a crab trap ashore. Scientists are split on whether it counts as tool use.

Researchers in Montana use a taxidermied badger and remote-control car to show how long-billed curlews listen in on prairie dog alarm calls. The post Remote-Controlled Badger Helps Study Prairie Dog Alarm Calls appeared first on Cool Green Science .