According to the US "Science Daily" website reported on December 17, the study found that kangaroos can really "communicate" with us.
A first-of-its-kind study by the University of Roehampton in the UK and the University of Sydney in Australia found that animals that have never been domesticated, such as kangaroos, can intentionally communicate with humans. The finding questions the stereotype that communication behavior is often limited to domesticated animals such as dogs, horses, or goats.
The study involved kangaroos in three parts of Australia, namely marsupials that had never been domesticated. The results of the study showed that when a kangaroo tried to obtain food placed in a sealed box, it would stare at the person. Kangaroos communicate with people by staring, rather than trying to open the box themselves. This behavior is usually only found in domesticated animals.
To get their hands on food, 10 out of every 11 kangaroos stare at the person who puts the food in the box (this experiment is called an "unsolvable problem task"). In addition, 9 out of 11 kangaroos would just stare back and forth at the box and the person on the scene, an enhanced version of communication — looking back and forth between boxes and people.
This research is based on previous studies in related fields. The researchers previously explored how domesticated animals communicate, such as dogs and goats, and whether intentional communication among animals is the result of domestication.
Lead author Dr. Alan McLeegot of the University of Roehampton (now the City University of Hong Kong) led a study that found that goats could understand human cues, including finger directions, to obtain information about their environment. Like dogs and goats, kangaroos are social animals. New research from Dr. McLeegoth suggests that they may be able to interact with humans with regular gregarious behaviors.
Dr McCligot said: "Through this study, we were able to see that communication between animals can be learned, staring at people in order to get food, and this behavior has nothing to do with domestication. In fact, kangaroos show patterns that are very similar to what we found in the same experiments with dogs, horses, and even goats. ”
"Our study shows that the potential for intentional communication between animals and humans is underestimated, which is an exciting research advance in the field." Kangaroos are the first marsupials touched upon by this study, and positive results should lead to more cognitive studies beyond conventional domestic animal species. ”
Dr Alexandra Green, from the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Sydney, said: "Kangaroos are Australia's iconic regional animals, loved by many people around the world, but also considered pest animals. We hope that this study will draw attention to kangaroo cognitive abilities and develop a more positive attitude towards kangaroos. ”
Source: Reference News Network