(Newser)
– Not only domesticated animals can communicate with people. An initial study of this type shows that kangaroos can do the same. Researchers at the University of Roehampton in England and the University of Sydney in Australia presented 11 kangaroos from various Australian zoos with an “unsolvable problem task”, which took the form of a closed plastic container containing food. Although familiar to humans, these kangaroos are still considered untamed. Realizing that they could not get the food without help, 10 of the kangaroos looked “actively” at study author Alan McElligott, who had manipulated the container, while nine kangaroos looked between the container and McElligott. , reports the New York News. The latest move is “a higher form of communication” by launch.
“We previously thought that only domesticated animals try to ask for help with a problem,” explains Alexandra Green, co-author of the study published Wednesday in Biology letters, explains CNN. But some kangaroos actually “used their noses to push [McElligott] and some approached [him] “The kangaroos showed‘ very similar behavior that we’ve seen in dogs, horses and even goats, ’” says McElligott, who notes that a group of wolves attacked the containers without any request from It is believed that the kangaroos learned to adapt social cues to treat humans as they are a social species, but McElligott believes “the potential for referential intentional communication to humans by animals has been underestimated” and hopes to see similar research conducted with humans. other wild animals. (Read more kangaroo stories).