artigo interessante (em inglês)

[casadiscaes]

Dogs May Be More Intelligent Than People May Think
By Reshma Kapadia
8-1-2


LONDON (Reuters) - Dogs are probably much cleverer than most
people think, according to a new study.

Scientists are convinced that dogs can count and researchers
at the
University of California Davis say they try to convey different
messages through the pitch and pace of their barks.

"Animal behaviorists used to think their bark was simply a
way of getting attention. Now a new study suggests that individual dogs
have specific barks with a range of meanings," New Scientist magazine
said on Wednesday.

Dogs usually use high-pitched single barks when they are
separated from their owners and a lower, harsher superbark when
strangers approach or the doorbell rings, according to Sophia Yin, an
animal behaviorist at the university.

Playful woofs are high-pitched and unevenly spaced.

Dogs also know when they are being short-changed on treats
because they have a basic mathematical ability which enables them to
tell when one pile of objects is bigger than another.

"But to count, an animal has to recognize that each object in
a set corresponds to a single number and that the last number in a
sequence represents the total number of objects," New Scientist added.

Robert Young of Brazil's Pontifical Catholic University of
Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, tested the theory on 11 mongrels using
dog treats.

The canines were shown treats and then a screen was lowered
and the goodies were left as they were or some were added or taken away.


If a treat was added or taken away the dogs looked at the
treats much longer than they did when the goodies were not disturbed,
presumably because they had done their sums and the numbers did not meet
their expectations.

"Dogs are descended from wolves, which not only have a large
neocortex -- the brain's center of reasoning -- but live in large social
groups," the magazine said.

Young believes the mathematical ability could have been used
to work out how many allies and enemies they had in a pack.

Copyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly
prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall
not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any
actions taken in reliance thereon.

[ruinestoky]

fenomenal...........
Onde viu este post.???

[casadiscaes]

Numa mailling list a que pertenço sobre pits... (mailling lists sobre cães só pertenço a 18 - Pits, AmStaffs, Filas, Setters, Handling, Molossos, BSL, etc...)

[corresponde]

http://europe.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science ... dogs.reut/