Learning from animal friendships
Erica Goode
January 26, 2015
Videos of unlikely animal pairs romping or snuggling have become so common that they are piquing the interest of some scientists, who say 79_ invite more systematic study. Among other things, researchers say, the alliances could add to an understanding of how species communicate, what propels certain animals to connect across species lines and the degree to which some animals can adopt the behaviors of other species.
Yet until recently, any suggestion that interspecies relationships might be based simply on companionship would probably have been met with derision, dismissed as Pixar1-like anthropomorphism. That has changed as research has gradually eroded some boundaries between Homo sapiens and other animals. Other species, it turns out, share abilities once considered exclusive to humans, including some emotions, tool use, counting, certain aspects of language and even a moral sense.
(www.nytimes.com. Adaptado.)
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