Psychologists often talk about anthropomorphism - our tendency to see human traits in creatures and objects. Let's take a look at behaviors that really do seem to be shared by humans and other animals, including...
1. Dancing Rats
- Dancing rats - rodents with rhythm
- Chimp recon - our closest relatives use primitive military tactics
- Tamarins talking behind our backs - we're not the in crowd
- Rattlesnake pals - these killers are happier with a friend... or a snake teddy
- Chivalrous crickets - these insects will lay down their lives for their mate
- Beasts burying the dead - mole-rats, rats and elephants may bury their fallen
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| Research suggests that rats can and will follow a beat... (SamuelFJohanns) |
1. Dancing Rats
Did you know that rats have rhythm? That's the suggestion made by a recent experiment monitoring the movement of rats when exposed to music.
The researchers placed small, wireless accelerometers on the heads of ten rats - this allowed them to record twitches and motions that would be imperceptible to the human eye. The experimenters then played snippets of music ranging from Beethoven to Queen and Lady Gaga to their captive audience, at a variety of playback speeds. A group of twenty human participants were put in similar conditions using headphones with an accelerometer built in.
Both the humans and rats made movements in time with the music - and a tempo of around 120-140 beats per minute got the most distinct response from both groups. This seems to indicate that the rats have innate beat synchronization - in essence, they move to music just like humans do!
Groups of chimpanzees have been observed patrolling territory borders, even climbing hills to perform reconnaissance. Chimps didn't have great lines of sight from the hill tops (there's a lot of vegetation after all) but were able to gain acoustic information - the sounds of rivals foraging in the distance that would normally be masked by the trees. Tellingly, chimps in these elevated positions refrained from doing anything noisy themselves - as though they were trying to stay hidden and observe.
Researchers found that the chimpanzees returning from hilltops were more likely to raid rival territory if the rivals seemed far away. Incursions happened around 40% of the time if rivals were around 500m away, 50% at 1km and 60% at 3km.
When groups encounter each other the results can be bloody - and sometimes groups of chimpanzees will stage out-and-out raids or assassinations on rivals.
Researchers found that a captive family of these diminutive primates would make very quiet vocalizations between themselves in the presence of a human they didn't like (and had previously mobbed.) The sounds were so quiet that they were initially missed by the researchers.
It's possible that this whispering behavior emerged for similar reasons in tamarins as it did in humans - the desire to communicate without giving away information to a perceived threat.
4. Rattlesnake PalsThough snakes seem outwardly cold and solitary, it turns out that they are happier and less vulnerable to stress with a pal in tow. Researchers looked at the stress responses of wild rattlesnakes exposed to a disturbance. The reptiles were tested in three conditions - by themselves, with a bit of rope or with a fellow snake.
Solitary snakes showed the most agitation, while snakes in a pair were much calmer. Interestingly, snakes accompanied by a bit of rope were almost as calm as the paired snakes - the rope seemed to act as a surrogate companion.
Researchers found that mated cricket males were much more vigilant, but that they also moved further from the entrance of their burrow - allowing the female to use the area closest to the entrance for foraging. The males also allowed the females to retreat into the burrow before them in the face of a threat - dramatically increasing their own odds of being eaten.
The males also didn't seem to attempt to prevent the females from leaving - presumably a defended burrow with their chosen mate was enough of an incentive for the females to stay!
Both rats and naked-mole rats will inter corpses. Mole-rat warrens contain latrine chambers where they defecate - and they will transfer the dead to these areas, sometimes covering them in soiled bedding material.
Rats seem to bury the corpses of their kin based on scent cues. A study found that the rodents would bury conspecifics who had been dead for 5 hours or more. Researchers found that the polyamines (cadaverine and putrescine) released by decaying rats controlled this response. They found that rats would bury wooden dowels or an anesthetized rat if they were sprayed with those polyamines!
Elephants have been observed covering their dead with foliage or dirt, sometimes seeming to exhibit a period of mourning. Apocryphal tales from Africa claim that some hunters have woken up from a nap in elephant territory covered in foliage themselves. In one tragic instance, an elephant trampled a human female and child - then covered their bodies in leaves and twigs before escaping into the bush.
The researchers placed small, wireless accelerometers on the heads of ten rats - this allowed them to record twitches and motions that would be imperceptible to the human eye. The experimenters then played snippets of music ranging from Beethoven to Queen and Lady Gaga to their captive audience, at a variety of playback speeds. A group of twenty human participants were put in similar conditions using headphones with an accelerometer built in.
Both the humans and rats made movements in time with the music - and a tempo of around 120-140 beats per minute got the most distinct response from both groups. This seems to indicate that the rats have innate beat synchronization - in essence, they move to music just like humans do!
2. Chimp Recon
Though it is obvious that animals fight amongst themselves, strategic warfare is a trait unique to humans... or so we thought.Groups of chimpanzees have been observed patrolling territory borders, even climbing hills to perform reconnaissance. Chimps didn't have great lines of sight from the hill tops (there's a lot of vegetation after all) but were able to gain acoustic information - the sounds of rivals foraging in the distance that would normally be masked by the trees. Tellingly, chimps in these elevated positions refrained from doing anything noisy themselves - as though they were trying to stay hidden and observe.
Researchers found that the chimpanzees returning from hilltops were more likely to raid rival territory if the rivals seemed far away. Incursions happened around 40% of the time if rivals were around 500m away, 50% at 1km and 60% at 3km.
When groups encounter each other the results can be bloody - and sometimes groups of chimpanzees will stage out-and-out raids or assassinations on rivals.
3. Tamarins Talking Behind Our Backs
Humans often whisper when we don't want to be overheard - by someone we don't like, for example. The cotton-top tamarin does something similar!Researchers found that a captive family of these diminutive primates would make very quiet vocalizations between themselves in the presence of a human they didn't like (and had previously mobbed.) The sounds were so quiet that they were initially missed by the researchers.
It's possible that this whispering behavior emerged for similar reasons in tamarins as it did in humans - the desire to communicate without giving away information to a perceived threat.
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| Are rattlesnakes actually big softies? (sdnet01) |
4. Rattlesnake PalsThough snakes seem outwardly cold and solitary, it turns out that they are happier and less vulnerable to stress with a pal in tow. Researchers looked at the stress responses of wild rattlesnakes exposed to a disturbance. The reptiles were tested in three conditions - by themselves, with a bit of rope or with a fellow snake.
Solitary snakes showed the most agitation, while snakes in a pair were much calmer. Interestingly, snakes accompanied by a bit of rope were almost as calm as the paired snakes - the rope seemed to act as a surrogate companion.
5. Chivalrous Crickets
Crickets and other insects have previously been accused of controlling behavior towards their mates, guarding them against other males and preventing them from wandering off. It turns out this isn't the reality of the situation - and that the males are actually rather chivalrous.Researchers found that mated cricket males were much more vigilant, but that they also moved further from the entrance of their burrow - allowing the female to use the area closest to the entrance for foraging. The males also allowed the females to retreat into the burrow before them in the face of a threat - dramatically increasing their own odds of being eaten.
The males also didn't seem to attempt to prevent the females from leaving - presumably a defended burrow with their chosen mate was enough of an incentive for the females to stay!
6. Beasts Burying the Dead
Death is a universal constant in the animal kingdom - but only a few creatures are said to bury their dead.Both rats and naked-mole rats will inter corpses. Mole-rat warrens contain latrine chambers where they defecate - and they will transfer the dead to these areas, sometimes covering them in soiled bedding material.
Rats seem to bury the corpses of their kin based on scent cues. A study found that the rodents would bury conspecifics who had been dead for 5 hours or more. Researchers found that the polyamines (cadaverine and putrescine) released by decaying rats controlled this response. They found that rats would bury wooden dowels or an anesthetized rat if they were sprayed with those polyamines!
Elephants have been observed covering their dead with foliage or dirt, sometimes seeming to exhibit a period of mourning. Apocryphal tales from Africa claim that some hunters have woken up from a nap in elephant territory covered in foliage themselves. In one tragic instance, an elephant trampled a human female and child - then covered their bodies in leaves and twigs before escaping into the bush.
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