Biology experimental design challenge:
-
Biology experimental design challenge:
Question: Do cats notice the orientation of the ears of other cats or animals? Can they use this as a cue to locate prey or items of interest? (eg a toy)
Cats can turn their ears to listen directionality. Their ears are very large. Could cats notice the orientation of the ears of other cats or creatures that can angle their ears and use this to locate an item of interest?
-
Biology experimental design challenge:
Question: Do cats notice the orientation of the ears of other cats or animals? Can they use this as a cue to locate prey or items of interest? (eg a toy)
Cats can turn their ears to listen directionality. Their ears are very large. Could cats notice the orientation of the ears of other cats or creatures that can angle their ears and use this to locate an item of interest?
@futurebird many cats have ear tufts to enhance the use of ears as a social signalling mechanism. (There's an analogy to human eyebrows.) It's pretty much a given that cats notice the ear positions of other cats.
-
@futurebird many cats have ear tufts to enhance the use of ears as a social signalling mechanism. (There's an analogy to human eyebrows.) It's pretty much a given that cats notice the ear positions of other cats.
For "ears back" angry yes I think that's established.
But could they use ears to say "look over there?"
-
Biology experimental design challenge:
Question: Do cats notice the orientation of the ears of other cats or animals? Can they use this as a cue to locate prey or items of interest? (eg a toy)
Cats can turn their ears to listen directionality. Their ears are very large. Could cats notice the orientation of the ears of other cats or creatures that can angle their ears and use this to locate an item of interest?
I’m being monitored. #picathecat
-
I’m being monitored. #picathecat
-
@futurebird she protect
I'm living in a surveillance state.
-
Biology experimental design challenge:
Question: Do cats notice the orientation of the ears of other cats or animals? Can they use this as a cue to locate prey or items of interest? (eg a toy)
Cats can turn their ears to listen directionality. Their ears are very large. Could cats notice the orientation of the ears of other cats or creatures that can angle their ears and use this to locate an item of interest?
@futurebird Cat earbuds. First test whether playing a sound apparently coming from a particular direction causes them to swivel their ears towards it.
If it does, now play the sound to only some of the cats. Do the ones who can't hear it also swivel their ears? And does this stop if the ones hearing the sound are wearing little hats to hide their ears?
-
F myrmepropagandist shared this topic
-
@futurebird Cat earbuds. First test whether playing a sound apparently coming from a particular direction causes them to swivel their ears towards it.
If it does, now play the sound to only some of the cats. Do the ones who can't hear it also swivel their ears? And does this stop if the ones hearing the sound are wearing little hats to hide their ears?
I'm thinking the logistics of putting earbuds on cats is why this has not been done.
-
Biology experimental design challenge:
Question: Do cats notice the orientation of the ears of other cats or animals? Can they use this as a cue to locate prey or items of interest? (eg a toy)
Cats can turn their ears to listen directionality. Their ears are very large. Could cats notice the orientation of the ears of other cats or creatures that can angle their ears and use this to locate an item of interest?
@futurebird I think this has been much researched, though proper experiment design and how it affects interpretation of results is still very much a live issue, in part because animal behavior scientists rarely get the funding they need, and must compromise experiment design with limited resources. But cats play close attention to the ear positions of other mammals. However, those positions have much more to do with emotional state than with direction of sounds being listened to.
