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http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/02/goats-know-what-their-friends-sound
Goats know who their real friends are. A study published today in Royal Society Open Science shows that the animals can recognize what other goats look like and sound like [open, DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160346] [DX], but only those they are closest with. Up until the late 1960s, the overwhelming assumption was that only humans could mentally keep track of how other individuals look, smell, and sound—what scientists call cross-modal recognition. We now know that many different kinds of animals can do this like horses, lions, crows, dogs, and certain primates.
Abstract:
When identifying other individuals, animals may match current cues with stored information about that individual from the same sensory modality. Animals may also be able to combine current information with previously acquired information from other sensory modalities, indicating that they possess complex cognitive templates of individuals that are independent of modality. We investigated whether goats (Capra hircus) possess cross-modal representations (auditory–visual) of conspecifics. We presented subjects with recorded conspecific calls broadcast equidistant between two individuals, one of which was the caller. We found that, when presented with a stablemate and another herd member, goats looked towards the caller sooner and for longer than the non-caller, regardless of caller identity. By contrast, when choosing between two herd members, other than their stablemate, goats did not show a preference to look towards the caller. Goats show cross-modal recognition of close social partners, but not of less familiar herd members. Goats may employ inferential reasoning when identifying conspecifics, potentially facilitating individual identification based on incomplete information. Understanding the prevalence of cross-modal recognition and the degree to which different sensory modalities are integrated provides insight into how animals learn about other individuals, and the evolution of animal communication.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 16 2017, @08:42PM
Up until the late 1960s, the overwhelming assumption was that only humans could mentally keep track of how other individuals look, smell, and sound
That doesn't make any sense. Cognitive bias much?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by bob_super on Thursday February 16 2017, @08:57PM
That's as completely absurd as assuming that there is only life on Earth.
But calling other (or not) lifeforms dumb does help when you want to massively slaughter them.
I propose that we start every scientific endeavor by assuming that the Earth and Human traits are far from unique, and require that deniers prove otherwise.
We're not fucking special God-masterpiece snowflakes, get used to it!
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 17 2017, @08:16AM
You might not be, but my home-school educated kids sure are.
(Score: 2) by rondon on Friday February 17 2017, @03:36PM
If you look at the word "fucking" as a verb instead of an adverb in your last sentence, it is much funnier and still true.
I got a chuckle out of it, anyways.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 16 2017, @09:05PM
(Score: 3, Insightful) by zocalo on Thursday February 16 2017, @09:11PM
Definitely some serious cognitive bias going on to even make that assumption in the first place though.
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 1) by JustNiz on Thursday February 16 2017, @09:18PM
My cat definately knows different humans, and can clearly recognise itself in the mirror.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 16 2017, @11:30PM
Take a pen of sheep.
Shear the sheep.
Group them all back together.
they all look different now, and it takes them a bit of time of head-butting each other to figure out who's who (sight, smell and sound) and their proper order again.
Take a pen of goats. introduce some new goats. There's probably gonna be some head-butting the newbies around to rebuild the hierarchy again.
(Score: 2) by Arik on Friday February 17 2017, @12:04AM
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?