October
23, 2018, University of
Exeter
Do
animals—like humans—divide the world into things that move and things that
don't? Are they surprised if an apparently inanimate object jumps to life?
Yes—according
to scientists at the universities of Exeter and Cambridge.
The
researchers tested how jackdaws responded
to moving birds, moving snakes
and moving sticks—and found they were most cautious of the moving sticks.
The
study, using remote-controlled objects placed in jackdaws' nests, will help
scientists understand how birds perceive potential threats.
"Although
as humans we see the divide between animate an inanimate objects as an
intuitive one, we've had very little evidence that wild animals also see the world
this way," said lead author Dr. Alison Greggor, formerly of the University
of Cambridge and now at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research.
"Laboratory
studies have shown that human infants and a few other species discriminate
between animate and inanimate objects.
"This
ability is assumed to have evolved to support social interactions, but its role
for wild animals has never been examined.
"Our
work extends the potential function of this ability beyond the social realm. It
might therefore be a more common ability than previously thought."
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