Kangaroos ’talk’ to humans, finds study

The findings indicate that animals could adapt their behaviours to communicate with other species

Team Lounge
Published5 Jan 2021, 02:00 PM IST
Kangaroos, including one carrying a joey in its pouch, stand by the side of a road on Mount Macedon, outside Melbourne, Australia
Kangaroos, including one carrying a joey in its pouch, stand by the side of a road on Mount Macedon, outside Melbourne, Australia(Reuters)

It's not just your pet dog, cat or calf that can communicate with you, nudging you for dinner or a cuddle, but researchers have found that even some animals which have never been domesticated can "intentionally communicate with humans." The findings indicate that it's not just domestication that prompts animals to communicate with humans, and that animals could adapt their behaviours to communicate with other species.

The study, published by The Royal Society and conducted by the University of Roehampton in London and the University of Sydney, observed kangaroos in three location across Australia and found that the marsupials use gazes to communicate with humans, even if they had never been domesticated or come in contact with the people before.

The research team put food into a box that the kangaroo would not be able to open on its own. This type of experiment is known as "the unsolvable problem task". Faced with such a challenge, 10 our of 11 kangaroos looked to humans with a variety of gazes to get at the food rather than trying to open the boxes themselves. This is the kind of behaviour that is usually expected from domesticated animals. "Nine of the 11 kangaroos additionally showed gaze alternations between the box and the person present, a heightened form of communication where they look between the box and human." it observes.

The research builds on previous work on communication by domesticated animals, such as dogs and goats, and whether intentional communication in animals is a result of domestication, Science Daily reports. Like dogs, kangaroos are social animals and this could be a factor leading to such behaviour.

"Through this study, we were able to see that communication between animals can be learnt and that the behaviour of gazing at humans to access food is not related to domestication. Indeed, kangaroos showed a very similar pattern of behaviour we have seen in dogs, horses and even goats when put to the same test," one of the lead authors Dr Alan McElligott told Science Daily. "Our research shows that the potential for referential intentional communication towards humans by animals has been underestimated, which signals an exciting development in this area," he said.

The paper's authors observed: "In summary, given appropriate positive interactions, many social mammal species probably have the potential to modify behaviours that have evolved to communicate within their own species and instead display them in a manner that may suggest intentional human-directed communication."

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

MoreLess
First Published:5 Jan 2021, 02:00 PM IST
Business NewsLoungeBusiness Of LifeKangaroos ’talk’ to humans, finds study

Get Instant Loan up to ₹10 Lakh!

  • Employment Type

    Most Active Stocks

    Indian Oil Corporation share price

    138.90
    03:59 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    -6.1 (-4.21%)

    Tata Steel share price

    146.95
    03:56 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    -2.75 (-1.84%)

    Reliance Industries share price

    1,302.00
    03:59 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    -37.1 (-2.77%)

    Tata Motors share price

    824.10
    03:59 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    -19.5 (-2.31%)
    More Active Stocks

    Market Snapshot

    • Top Gainers
    • Top Losers
    • 52 Week High

    City Union Bank share price

    178.10
    03:29 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    0.25 (0.14%)

    Federal Bank share price

    204.15
    03:59 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    -0.1 (-0.05%)

    Jubilant Pharmova share price

    1,252.35
    03:40 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    -11.65 (-0.92%)

    UTI Asset Management Company share price

    1,326.85
    03:29 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    -33.4 (-2.46%)
    More from 52 Week High

    Poly Medicure share price

    2,876.70
    03:43 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    -286 (-9.04%)

    Vodafone Idea share price

    7.89
    03:59 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    -0.56 (-6.63%)

    Chennai Petroleum Corporation share price

    614.70
    03:45 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    -40.85 (-6.23%)

    Angel Broking share price

    2,886.35
    03:59 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    -184.55 (-6.01%)
    More from Top Losers

    Fine Organic Industries share price

    5,123.00
    03:29 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    280.9 (5.8%)

    Firstsource Solutions share price

    358.85
    03:50 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    18.55 (5.45%)

    Rainbow Childrens Medicare share price

    1,630.70
    03:59 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    81.1 (5.23%)

    Gillette India share price

    10,323.35
    03:29 PM | 4 NOV 2024
    361.55 (3.63%)
    More from Top Gainers

    Recommended For You

      More Recommendations

      Gold Prices

      • 24K
      • 22K
      Bangalore
      80,415.000.00
      Chennai
      80,421.000.00
      Delhi
      80,573.000.00
      Kolkata
      80,425.000.00

      Fuel Price

      • Petrol
      • Diesel
      Bangalore
      102.92/L0.00
      Chennai
      101.03/L0.23
      Kolkata
      104.95/L0.00
      New Delhi
      94.77/L0.00

      Popular in Lounge

        HomeMarketsPremiumInstant LoanMint Shorts