health
Goats can find food by following a human voice, study finds
Experiments show 29 animals moved towards a treat-filled bucket 60% of the time when guided by a researcher
TL;DR
- Goats can follow the direction of a human voice to find hidden food.
- This vocal cueing ability has been observed in young children and dogs but not chimpanzees.
- The study involved 29 goats, each undergoing 12 trials with hidden food and vocal guidance.
- Goats moved towards the treat 60% of the time when guided by a researcher's voice.
- When the researcher was silent or spoke away from the treat, goats performed at chance levels (47%-49%).
- This ability may be linked to domestication and could shed light on cognitive changes in domesticated species.
- Previous research shows goats can also follow pointing gestures and discern human emotions.