animal-behavior

A recent study found that man’s best friend processes positive and negative human emotions differently and can distinguish between fearful faces and those showing sadness or anger

Scientists have finally found a way to track individual monarchs through their impossible journey, armed with a device so light it barely disturbs the insect carrying it.

We showed for the first time that social disruption and trauma - such as culling of older elephants - has a lasting impact on the behaviour of African elephants.

Many dog owners have tales of their faithful companion licking away their tears. Researchers investigated whether, beyond being comforting, canines would actually take action to help an upset owner.

Animals can be born with genetic or developmental issues that make it hard for them to live normal lives. They also can develop mental health problems in response to conditions around them.

Spotted hyenas solved a two-rope cooperation task rapidly without being coached on the social rule, but solo familiarisation and task ecology make the chimpanzee comparison more specific than a general intelligence ranking.

New fMRI research shows that dog brains do more than just separate good moods from bad. Canines display distinct neural patterns for human smiles and can neurologically differentiate between specific negative emotions like fear and anger.

Human-cat interaction (HCI) in rescue settings is often inconsistent, driven by individual caregiver beliefs rather than standardised evidence-based practice. This study evaluates the efficacy of an educational intervention for shelter workers, incorporating evidence based HCI principles designed to promote cat comfort and reduce the risk of cat human-directed aggression. A pre-post study followe…

Scientists -- and dog lovers -- have long known that dogs are remarkably good at reading human laughs, frowns, and tears. But the biology behind this ability has remained largely unexplored, until now. In a current study published in the Cell Press journal iScience, researchers from the University of Vienna peered inside the brains of dogs as they viewed images of various expressions. The brain s…

Scientists have presented the first neural evidence dogs' brains can differentiate between specific negative human emotions, rather than simply categorising facial expressions as positive or negative. The study by researchers at the University of Vienna, published in the journal iScience, employed functional magnetic resonance imaging scans to examine canine brain activity whilst the animals view…

Scientific Reports, Published online: 10 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-66310-w Pigs’ brain responses to stroking after long-term positive human contacts: an fMRI exploratory study

A new brain-imaging study suggests that dogs may be able to distinguish between certain negative human emotions just by looking at people’s faces.