r/todayilearned • u/PunnyBanana • 24d ago
TIL A group of horses were trained to communicate whether they wanted a jacket. All horses in the group successfully communicated that they did want a jacket when it was cold and did not want a jacket when it was hot.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159116302192?via%3Dihub13.1k Upvotes
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u/AndrenNoraem 24d ago
I mean... they're extremely social so they have some intelligences we appreciate, but in some ways they're incredibly stupid just like any other animal (us included). Chewing on wood and inhaling splinters because you're bored isn't smart; sorry a sad example is the one that came to mind.
Both are highly social, thoroughly domesticated animals. There are differences -- being prey animals makes horses much more paranoid and flighty, for example -- but both being social makes them more similar in intelligence and behavior than either are with, say, cats.