Animal Studies and What They Can Tell Us

Animals are fascinating creatures, sharing similarities with humans but also many, many differences.

For centuries, animals have been studied out of both enjoyment and curiosity. In the past few decades, scientists have even leveraged knowledge of the animal kingdom to improve life for humans.

The Animal Kingdom

The world of animals is something that interests many of us and this interest can be seen across many industries, for example, in the entertainment sector. For years, animals have been at the centre of blockbusters in Hollywood. Whether they are extinct like dinosaurs in Jurassic Park or oversized like King Kong, they continue to play starring roles in films. While in the iGaming sector, gamers can now play online games such as Fluffy Favourites, which is an animal-themed slot game. Users can mix the world of gaming and animals with usual features like free spins and wilds, while wild animals like elephants, giraffes and rhinos appear. In the real world, attractions like zoos or wildlife parks continue to attract tourists globally, It’s estimated that animal tourism is worth over $340 billion to the world’s economy, according to wttc.org. With this in mind, let’s explore some interesting recent findings about animals.

One, two, three

Have you ever heard of the crow’s interesting behaviour? Many anecdotal studies talk of crows exchanging gifts with humans for food and attacking people they remember as a threat even months after having an encounter with them, but now there are studies emerging that they could be even smarter than once thought. In a study published in Science, scientists in Germany conducted experiments teaching the birds how to count and recognise numbers. In emitting the same number of caws to replicate the number on the screen, the birds were able to prove that they have much the same ability to count as a four-year-old.

Total Eclipse

At the beginning of 2024, the world was entranced by a total solar eclipse. It dominated news and social media for the day as many people in different parts of the world went outside to stare into the sky to get a look. But how did animals react to it? The answer is very strange, according to reports. Now NASA wants to figure out why. Animals such as coyotes, flamingoes, and gorillas were all witnessed acting out of the ordinary. NASA is now asking anyone who caught bizarre animal behaviour on camera to submit it to them so they can study it and try to find out just why animals react to eclipses in different ways.

Of course, there are still companies that use animals to test their food and fashion products, and there are groups that are trying to move away from this practice. To learn more about animals, it is imperative that scientists continue to study animals not only in the wild but also in labs and zoos. In this way, we can continue to grow more knowledgeable about our surrounding environment and how to preserve it for years to come.

Published: 09/07/2024 by Radio NewsHub

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