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Goats Follow Voices to Hidden Treats
1 Nov
Summary
- Goats located hidden food by following human voice direction.
- Performance matched dogs, surpassed chimpanzees in the study.
- Research sheds light on animal cognition and human compatibility.
Scientists have discovered that goats possess the remarkable ability to follow human voices to locate hidden objects. In a study published in Royal Society Open Science in 2026, researchers from the University of Zurich tested 29 goats at a sanctuary in the UK.
The goats were presented with two buckets, one containing pasta, and a hidden researcher who would speak excitedly towards the baited bucket. When the voice clearly indicated the food's direction, the goats succeeded in finding it 60% of the time. This performance is comparable to that of dogs, while chimpanzees, our closest relatives, have shown less success in similar tests.
Control conditions, including silence and speech directed away from the buckets, demonstrated that the goats' success was tied to the directional vocal cues, not just smell or proximity to sound. This research builds upon previous findings where goats were shown to follow human pointing gestures.
The study's findings suggest a sophisticated level of auditory processing in goats and may offer insights into the cognitive adaptations that facilitate compatibility between humans and domesticated animals. Researchers are keen to explore this ability further in various species to understand its evolutionary significance and implications for animal welfare.
