Bears Can 'Count' And Compare Numbers, Showing Cognitive Ability, Scientists Say

If there's anything more impressive than a bear's size, it's its intelligence. Bears can learn to ride bicycles, use tools, and as new research shows, "count." Scientists trained three American black bears (Ursus Americanus) to discriminate between groups of dots on a touchscreen computer: Two bears learned to pick the group with fewer dots, while the third learned to choose the group with more dots.

http://tinyurl.com/827h453

Animals are Social Networkers Too: How Creatures’ Natural Relationships Are Mirrored By Human Facebook And Twitter Use

Humans didn't invent 'social networks', says a new study into animal behaviour - instead, our use of networks such as Facebook and Twitter actually mirrors group behaviours that can be found in whales, monkeys  and dolphins.  Intelligent animals 'use' groups to share information with one another - albeit without computers or smartphones - just like humans do online.  Experts found evidence of animals forming cliques and gathering information to help make group decisions - in much the same way as humans use Facebook Groups to streamline discussions.  The famous 'six degrees of separation' rule - which states that anyone can be related to another person in six steps - also applies to the way animals group with one another.  .

http://tinyurl.com/782fy9q

Video: Orangutans Use an iPad

Orangutans are now embracing the wonderment of the Apple iPad at the Milwaukee County Zoo. The idea to involve primates in touch-screen technology originally started out as an April Fool's Day joke, Milwuakee Zoo's iPad Enrichment Coordinator Scott Engel explained to MSNBC.

http://tinyurl.com/3gd23ug

How Elephants Use Insight to Solve Problems

Highly social and clever and cooperative with tools, elephants are often near the top of the brainiest creatures list. Now, scientists have added a new talent to elephants' mental repertoire: The ability to solve a problem using insight—that aha! moment when your internal light bulb switches on and you figure out the solution to a puzzle.

http://tinyurl.com/3vnqcbj