Foundations Reading 8B

Chap 16

Reading 8B DO ANIMALS LAUGH? We know animals have emotions. They can feel fear. We also think they feel love, since they have strong relationships with each other. So are animal emotions similar to our own? And do animals have a sense of humor? A Parrot's Joke Sally Blanchard's parrot Bongo Marie didn't get along with her other parrot, Paco. In fact, Bongo Marie clearly didn't like Paco at all! One day, Blanchard cooked a chicken for dinner. She started to cut the chicken with a knife. "Oh, no! Paco!" Bongo Marie said loudly and laughed. Blanchard laughed, too, and said, "That's not Paco." "Oh... no," said Bongo Marie. This time, she sounded disappointed. Then the parrot laughed at her own joke. Yoga Dog Jean Donaldson enjoys yoga—and so does her dog Buffy. While Donaldson does yoga, Buffy carefully places her toys on Donaldson's body. If a toy falls, Buffy runs to put it back. Does this behavior have any real purpose? "She thinks it's hilarious!" says Donaldson. Animal Laughter Can dogs "laugh"? Recent research shows that dogs can tell each other when they want to play. They make a special sound—a kind of "laugh." Psychologist Patricia Simonet recorded the sound. Then she played it back to dogs and studied their behavior. "All the dogs seemed to like the laugh," says Simonet. So do animals have a sense of humor? If laughter is a clue, then perhaps the answer is "yes!"

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