Cows and mongooses are among at least 65 species of animals that can “laugh,” according to a study from UCLA.
Researchers Sasha Winkler and Greg Bryant combed through existing scientific literature for their findings, meaning no animals were harmed or exploited in the study, which was published in the scientific journal BioAcoustics.
They were on the lookout for “play vocalizations” — or sounds that animals make when likely feeling happy and relaxed, similar to human laughter.
While scientists knew that certain species — most notably, primates and rats — express the equivalent of laughter during bonding, the UCLA study added to that list species including dogs, foxes, seals, mongooses, and three species of birds, including the Australian magpie and the parakeet.
“This work lays out nicely how a phenomenon once thought to be particularly human turns out to be closely tied to behavior shared with species separated from humans by tens of millions of years,” Bryant said.
Lady Freethinker applauds the scientists for exploring their theories in a way that did not exploit, harm, or remove animals from their natural environments or subject them to unnatural circumstances.
This study is another example of animals’ sentience, that they can feel emotions like we do, and that they deserve to live their days free from fear, pain, and exploitation!
You can help animals in laboratories by signing our most recent petition, urging Oregon to ban cruel tests on animals for cosmetics!
SIGN: Tell Oregon To Ban Sales of Cosmetics Cruelly Tested on Animals!
