Dogs And Horses Make Me Happy Humans Make My Head Hurt Shirt
A dog’s invitation to play is unmistakable: Bowing with his front legs and wagging his tail, he’s basically saying to another dog, Let’s have fun! The two animals then chase and leap and box each other, matching each other’s moves, often with expressions we humans interpret as smiles.Now scientists report for the first time that dogs and horses play together in a similar manner, with open mouths and synchronously matched behaviors.Perhaps most remarkably, the two species also rapidly mirror the expression on the other’s face, a behavior called rapid facial mimicry. This phenomenon occurs in primates, domestic dogs, meerkats, and sun bears, but has never been documented between play partners of different species.“It’s a wonderful study, and takes the questions surrounding play behavior to a new level,” says Sue McDonnell, an animal behaviorist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia who wasn’t involved in the study.“In particular, they’ve beautifully demonstrated play between two species where it’s unexpected.”Horses and dogs coexist peacefully today thanks to centuries of domestication. Still, from an evolutionary point of view, they’re predators and prey, so scientists were surprised the two species shared a common language of play.
Dogs And Horses Make Me Happy Humans Make My Head Hurt Shirt
What’s more, the study strengthens the idea that play is universal among species. The behavior occurs in such a wide array of creatures—ranging from crocodiles to otters to wasps—that scientists believe it has evolved multiple times. Despite these diverse origins, play behaviors—play-fighting, running, chasing, leaping—are strikingly similar across nature. (Read more about the first evidence of playing in crocodiles.)he purpose behind play is murkier. It could help young animals develop social and hunting skills; adults may use it to relax or maintain their health. The new study, betweem such different animals, adds an intriguing new element to the mystery.Though the purpose behind play remains unclear, scientists suspect the behavior arose to help animals hone hunting and social skills, relieve stress or foster relationships with each other, study author Elisabetta Palagi, an animal behaviorist at the University of Pisa in Italy, tells Charles Q. Choi at Inside Science. Learning more about the contexts in which different creatures pal around—especially across branches of the tree of life—could tell researchers a lot about play’s origins and evolution.