OT: Chickens: Study Chickens are smarter than thought

Study Chickens are smarter than thought

"To the extent that our attitudes toward animals are shaped by their perceived mental life, such findings should be thought-provoking," Chris Evans told The Telegraph, noting the cleverness of chickens goes further than the 20 or more calls they can make. For example, he said chickens live in stable social groups and can recognize each other by facial features.

For another article on this same research, check out ScienceNews. The results are new and have caught the attention of many scientists.

"Primatologist Klaus Zuberbühler of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland compares the results to those from his own test with monkeys. Once those animals heard monkey calls indicating one kind of predator, they responded with less commotion to recordings of that predator than to recordings of a different attacker. So, Zuberbühler argues, these monkey alarm calls are likewise not just triggers of an automatic response.

Finding a similar effect in chickens' food calls is 'wonderful,' he says."