As animal lovers, it's natural to be fascinated by scientific studies examining the complexities of their lives. And in that regard, 2023 has given us some truly surprising revelations about animals. For instance, did you know that a new drug might be able to extend your dog’s life? Similarly, like humans, chimpanzees become more selective in their friendships with age. As the year draws to a close, we highlight eight fascinating observations that shed light on our evolving relationship with the animal kingdom.
1. Ground-breaking new drug could extend the lifespan of dogs
Dogs have an average lifespan of 10 to 13 years, with larger breeds having significantly shorter lives. This fall brought positive news for dog owners as a groundbreaking experimental longevity drug for pets moved through the FDA approval process. The drug is in the works by veterinary biotech company Loyal. Though clinical trials are still ongoing, the FDA stated in a letter to the company that the preliminary evidence is "sufficient" to indicate a "reasonable expectation of effectiveness," especially for larger breeds, as reported by The New York Times in November.
Simply put, the letter indicates that the treatment has met the requirements for "expanded conditional approval," an accelerated authorization granted to important drugs undergoing complex or extremely challenging studies to verify their efficacy.
2. Living with cats or dogs may lower children's risk of food allergies
Kids wanting a pet dog or cat will be delighted by this news. Japanese researchers discovered that children who were exposed to pet cats or indoor dogs during fetal development or early infancy tended to have fewer food allergies than their counterparts who did not have such pets.
The study, which was published in the journal PLOS One in March, involved almost 65,000 infants and found a lower likelihood of egg, milk, and nut allergies in children with indoor dogs. Those who had pet cats were also less likely to have allergies to eggs, wheat, and soybeans.
3. Chinstrap penguins take over 10,000 naps a day
Recent findings published in Science reveal that chinstrap penguins take more than 10,000 brief naps each day, with each one lasting around four seconds. Researchers believe that these "microsleeps" are an evolutionary reaction that allows penguins to remain attentive against potential predators while also obtaining moments of rest in their noisy social surroundings.
4. Female frogs sometimes fake death to avoid unwanted male attention
The Royal Society Open Science published a study recently that shed light on an unusual habit among female European common frogs. These frogs fake death, a behavior known as "tonic immobility," to deflect unwanted male attention. Understanding the breeding season of these female frogs is important for understanding why they go to extremes. According to Carolin Dittrich, a researcher, European common frogs have a brief but intense mating time that involves frenzied males fighting for females.
As part of this process, males engage in "harassment," "sexual coercion," and "intimidation" of females, the study stated. Thus, female frogs appear to have evolved to pretend to be dead in order to survive the breeding season.
5. Rats have an imagination like humans and they use it often
New research shows that rats have a similar imagination to humans and use it as a regular part of their cognitive processes. As per researchers at Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus, rats were observed navigating familiar spaces solely through mental processes, suggesting that they may have an ability for imaginative thinking. One of the study authors claimed that the study was the first to demonstrate that nonhuman animals can activate the brain's representation of places far from their own.
“This is a fundamental building block of a specific type of imagination, one that enables us to project ourselves into the past or future, within a certain scenario,” said researcher Chongxi Lai.
6. Cats have 276 different facial expressions
Latest findings published in the journal Behavioural Processesrevealed that domesticated cats display 276 facial expressions during interactions with each other, including a “play face” also found in humans. The study was carried out in a cat cafe in Los Angeles, where the researchers observed a group of about 50 cats.
“Our study demonstrates that cat communication is more complex than previously assumed,” study co-author Brittany Florkiewicz, an evolutionary psychologist at Lyon College in Arkansas, said to the media.
7. Roosters may be able to recognize their reflection
Scientists recently discovered that roosters are able to recognize themselves in a mirror, which is considered a standard measure of animal self-awareness. Roosters have now joined the ranks of big apes, bottlenose dolphins, elephants, magpies, and crows in showing unexpected cognitive capability. The researchers believe that their findings will stimulate a reconsideration of the intelligence attributed to other animal species. Previous research has also suggested that they can count and have empathy.
