African Gray Parrot Grasps Zero Concept
"Although his brain is the size of a walnut, scientists say Alex's ability to understand the concept of zero is amazing, as humans do not typically grasp it until the age of 3 or 4.
"According to Irene Pepperburg, who led the reasearch, Alex possesses a zero-like concept, which although different to ours, still demonstrates his ability to understand an absence of quantity."
This anecdote about Alex spelling (at the end of the article) gives me goosebumps every time I re-read it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/pepperberg03/pepperberg_index.html
Ha! That's great!
ReplyDeleteDouglas Adams was wrong.
ReplyDeleteTurns a term like "bird-brain" on its little, walnut-sized head, eh?
ReplyDeleteWe constantly apply human motivations and behaviors to our animal brethren at our peril.
We ignore clear signs of it however, at even greater peril.
Remember how the animals took to the hills ahead of the tsunami? If we weren't so quick to dismiss such behavior, lives could have been saved.
If you see all the dogs and cats heading down the street in the same direction, I'd highly suggest following suit, rather than heading in the opposite direction to see what's happening.
Kyle
UFOreflections.blogspot.com
Animals can sense the presence of UFOs, too.
ReplyDeletePolly wanna Valium?
ReplyDeleteKyle
UFOreflections.blogspot.com
WMB--
ReplyDeleteHa! I'd love to teach a parrrot to say that.