It seems that our smaller brothers "do not agree on something." Here are the 10 most interesting of them.
10. They are able to distinguish the voices of even strangers
British biologists Karen McComb and Graham Shannon, who studied Kenyan elephants, determined that these huge animals not only listen to human speech, but also react very logically to it. Scientists conducted an experiment: they recorded the voices of men from two African tribes - the Masai and Kamba, and then included these records for 47 elephants from Amboseli National Park. The results surprised the researchers - with the sounds of the Masai voices, the animals began to sniff warily and snuggle together (as they always do in case of danger), but the voices of the Kamba men almost did not excite them. The fact is that the Masai nomads often hunt elephants, and the camba (farmers) almost never harm them. More interestingly, the reaction of the elephants to the voices of women, and especially the Masai children, was completely calm (after all, women and children do not hunt). Scientists have discovered long ago that elephants know how to distinguish people from different tribes by their clothes and smell. But no one could even think that they also distinguish between gender, age, and even language!
9. Animals only love
We all heard wonderful stories about true love in the animal kingdom. So, in the bird kingdom, "monogamous", creating couples for life, are swans, eagles, crows, doves and even penguins. A wolf treats her wolf very reverently, only death can tear them apart. If a female fox dies, then the fox also remains “single” for life. All his life he lives with one beaver river beaver ...
Moreover, some animals have a negative attitude to reproduction for the sake of reproduction only, accepting this process only if there is mutual sympathy. For example, scientists from the Panda Conservation Center in Chengdu (China) recently settled 40 males and females of this species in neighboring aviaries, where animals could communicate with each other, but without physical contact. Observing the pandas for some time, the researchers determined which of them treat each other with sympathy, and which with indifference or even aggression. And when different pairs of pandas were finally in the same enclosure, only those who loved each other at a distance brought offspring. Those couples where the female and the male did not feel any mutual sympathy categorically refused to reproduce.
8. Unlike us, they have a collective mind.
How many of us did not observe the friendly and coordinated work of ants in childhood? The ability to act synchronously and interdependently is demonstrated by ants of almost all species, regardless of the size of their colony or even a separate group. When they face any difficult task (to build a new anthill, deal with the enemy, take away a large portion of food, etc.), they immediately join forces and perform work quickly and efficiently. Many individual individuals act as one intelligent mass. By the way, a similar phenomenon is observed in many other insects (bees, locusts, etc.), as well as partially in birds, rodents and fish.
7. They invent tactics.
We have long known that many large predators can use a variety of tactics in hunting: collectively drive prey, fight weak individuals from a large herd, etc. But it turns out that other animals also show remarkable fantasy in this matter. So, dolphins use the following trick: one of them swims around a school of fish, while actively lifting sand and silt from the bottom. Fish, trying to get out of the muddy water, begin to jump up, which is what other dolphins use. Canadian scientists from Vancouver found that hunting tactics exist among whales: firstly, they can drive a school of fish to the surface, sweeping it in a spiral from the bottom up (while also guiding it with fins), then swallow it in an osprey; secondly, whales specifically wait for the guillemots and other birds of prey to hunt for the fish, and then, carefully approaching the jamb attacked from above, they open their mouths wide on the surface of the water, thus forming small closed "reservoirs". Frightened fish rush to these "shelters", and when there are enough of them, whales close their mouths and swim away full and satisfied.
6. They use traps for hunting.
Scientists do not cease to be surprised at the other abilities of animals used in hunting. For example, crocodiles and alligators can lie motionless for hours with twigs and sticks on their nose, luring birds who are looking for building materials for nests. The vulture turtle, which lives in lakes and rivers in North America, compensates for its slowness as follows: it lies motionless in the water with its mouth open. Potential victims (small fish) take her for a stone, and a small turtle tongue for a worm. And when the fish tries to grab the worm, the turtle grabs the fish itself. And the green heron (a small American heron) as a bait scatters small objects, similar to something edible, on the surface of the water. The fish swim to the "food", and the heron immediately grabs them.
5. And other devices for obtaining food
On the rationality of birds of the corvidae family (common raven, black and gray ravens, magpies, jackdaws, rooks, etc.), a huge number of stories are circulated among the people. Scientists confirm - some species of these birds really have a very developed intellect. So, for example, they can pick up (or even craft from improvised materials) a special hook or a sharp stick to use it to get tasty larvae from a narrow gap. Moreover, after this, birds sometimes take a useful “tool” with them. Eagles are not too “behind in development” from ravens: for example, a bearded lamb who lives in Greece and loves the meat of turtles (which, as you know, have strong “armor”), throws them on stones from a height and calmly takes out “stuffing” from a split shell. Another example: a seemingly much more primitive Hawaiian crab-boxer puts live anemones on his claws, which “knock out” his prey, stinging with stinging threads (at the same time protecting the crab from enemies).
4. And can behave just like people
Well, you don’t even need to prove anything here - just remember that from time to time your cat, or a neighbor's dog, or a beloved aunt’s parrot will practice. They perfectly understand the intonations of our speech, distinguish not only human faces, but also emotions (and sometimes even try to copy them), sometimes they like to “dress up”, sometimes they try to “sing along” to the owner, give gifts, etc. Scientists argue that many higher animals are actually capable of making independent informed decisions and behaving in accordance with them.
3. They can share with those less fortunate.
American biologists from Emory University (Atlanta) found that capuchin monkeys are happy to share food. During a special experiment, they were asked to get food only for themselves or for themselves and their neighbor in the aviary. Most monkeys chose the option of a joint meal. They were clearly pleased to bring food to their brethren. Some birds also know how to share (for example, parrots). We are not talking about numerous stories when a dog brings his toy to comfort a crying child, or a cat tries to treat its owners, “horseradish hunters,” who are not able to catch such a treat on their own.
2. They have supernatural sensitivity.
Many people who have dogs are aware that their pet knows for sure that the owner will soon return home, long before he can see, hear, or even sniff him. Several experiments in different countries have confirmed that this canine “knowledge” does not depend on the usual duration of absenteeism of the owner — it works even when the owner returns at “inopportune” time. And how to explain the return of cats forgotten by the owners in an unfamiliar area for dozens, or even hundreds, of kilometers? How do they do it?
1. And truly own telepathy
The Georgian biologist Jason Badridze, who studied wolves for several years, becoming for them practically a member of the pack, claims that they are able to communicate using only eye contact. Before the hunt, wolves first arrange a fun fuss with screeching and nibbling, and then "establish a connection", looking intently into each other's eyes. After this ritual, every beast knows how to act. If this is not telepathy, then how else can you call such an amazing phenomenon? By the way, many other predators also hunt in packs, but completely silently, giving signals to each other nonverbally.