Kangaroos are usually beautiful to human eyes. Not as much as dogs, of course. However, they seem to share a certain trait with them. Says a study from the University of Sydney and the University of Roehampton in London. In relation to humans, kangaroos communicate like dogs. They have the ability to communicate with people on purpose, much like dogs.
Other marsupials
Scientists say kangaroos have amazing cognitive abilities. You use them in communication with people. They behave similarly to dogs, even though they are not domesticated animals.
The results were published in the journal Biology letters. And they go on. They suggest that not only kangaroos have the ability to communicate with people on purpose. Other marsupials – a sub-category within mammals that includes kangaroos, koalas, and moles, among others -.
The research was carried out on 11 captured (non-domesticated) kangaroos. They were faced with an “unsolvable task”. They left them a box of food that they could not open to watch the animals react.
Given this situation, the animals stared at the researchers when they couldn’t open the box on their own. The Guardian reported. Most kangaroos struggled to ask for help instead of giving up. They kept glancing at the box and the researcher for assistance, explained Dr. Alexandra Green, co-author of the study.
“They stared at my face like a cat or a dog would. They asked for help, “Alan McElligott told Reuters, an animal behaviorist at the University of Hong Kong and lead author on the study.
Underestimated capacity
“We interpret this as a conscious form of communication, a request for help. Wild species are not expected to behave like these types, so it’s surprising, ”he added. Kangaroos communicate like dogs, so previous studies with horses, dogs, and goats produced similar results. It is true that there were only 11 kangaroos (although of different species). However, McElligott and Green argued that the research is a clear sign that the communication skills of non-domesticated animals have been underestimated by humans. And you, would you like to have a kangaroo in the yard?
