Goats can tell how humans are feeling by hearing their voice
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Next time you see a goat, you might want to be mindful of how you speak to them!
That's because scientists say that goats can tell the difference between a happy human voice and an angry one.
Researchers think that the animals may have developed a sensitivity to the tone of our voices because of their long history of teamwork with humans.
Experts say this shows that goats have emotional intelligence and that they're also able to adapt to the presence of humans.
What did scientists find?
The study was carried out by an international team of scientists co-led by Professor Alan McElligott, an expert in animal behaviour and welfare from City University of Hong Kong.
Twenty seven male and female goats, of different breeds and ages, took part in the study, all of which were used to being handled by humans.
Through a speaker, the goats were then played human voices saying the phrase 'hey, look over here' in either a happy or an angry voice.
Did you know?
Goats are excellent climbers with great balance. Some goats are even able to go up tall trees and steady themselves on small branches!
Experts found that the goats reacted to a change in the tone of the human voices as they tended to spend longer gazing towards the speaker when the voice switched from happier to an angrier one, or the other way round.
Previous studies by Professor McElligott have shown that goats - just like dogs and horses - can read human facial expressions, but the team say that more research is now needed to understand more about how the human voice affects these animals.