Category: Zoology

Longitudinal recordings of female vampire bats show individuals shift their ultrasonic contact calls to match those of new partners as they form grooming and food‑sharing bonds. The acoustic convergence tracks social interactions over years, suggesting vocal learning is used beyond kin recognition to actively forge affiliative ties. — If vocal convergence is a general social tool across mammals, it reframes questions about the evolution of language, social cognition, and how conservation or captive management might disrupt or harness communication to support group stability.

A controlled study comparing laypeople, experienced caregivers, and expert panels found people are much worse at judging pain from horse faces than from human faces; experience helps, and horses may have evolved cues that mask discomfort. This suggests current visual assessments by casual handlers or spectators risk missing suffering. — If humans systematically under‑detect equine pain, that undermines welfare oversight in racing, transport, veterinary triage, and legal standards, creating a policy need for better objective measures and training.