6 ms·

Study of cockatoo Snowball suggests humans aren't the only ones who can dance

26 points by wallflower 2y ago

jonahbenton 2y ago
2019 Recommend in this vein the Huberman Lab podcast with Dr Erich Jarvis.
karim79 2y ago
I love you Toto. I hate that my dad bought you and created demand for the breeding of your kind for simple human gratification. May you rest in heaven and I'll see you at some point in the future.
- MrMcCall 2y ago
  I, too, loath to see a bird in a cage, my dear friend. Love will help us transform this world beyond this selfish, destructive idiocy. Peace be with you. We love you.
  - defrost 2y ago
    Corellas and Sulphar Crested Cockatoos don't need cages if you befriend them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbSxc6Y1aVA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbSxc6Y1aVA
    - MrMcCall 2y ago
      So long as they're free to go where they want, I've got no criticism. It's almost certainly best for them to remain in their natural habitat, however.
    - Perenti 2y ago
      Most parrots will become stay-at-homes if you treat them well. Lorikeets that become human friendly even bring wild friends home to enjoy the humans.
MrMcCall 2y ago
I rollerskated to this song when it was the #1 song for many weeks in the late 70s. What a banger! How do you think I'm gonna get along Without you, when you're gone? You took me for everything that I had And kicked me out on my own Are you happy, are you satisfied? How long can you stand the heat? --Queen "Another One Bites the Dust" An Indian man whose people endured the depradations of England's imperialists? He's got a solution for fascists, my friends. Out of the doorway, the bullets rip To the sound of the beat Look out Then, a few years later, I really liked this jam, though I don't care for the song anymore, the lyrics fit my mindset, though not all dancing requires a beat other than the compassionate resonance of the heart of humanity: We can dance if we want to We can leave your friends behind 'Cause your friends don't dance And if they don't dance Well they're no friends of mine --Men Without Hats "Safety Dance" In 2025, feel your heart, feel the love, listen to "Squabble Up" and feel this movement down in your bones. And celebrate good times! Cone on! Me and all my friends are dancing for ALL the birds trapped in cages, kept away from the beauty of nature, by ignorant narcissistic human beings who know not what life is really worth.
- dole 2y ago
  Ridiculous to think animals are Not Like Us, Not Like Us.
blueflow 2y ago
Who came up with the idea that only humans can dance?
- HenryBemis 2y ago
  Exactly. I cannot :)
latexr 2y ago
> suggests (…) animals, may be capable of some of the kind of sophisticated brain function thought to be exclusively human. Isn’t everyone tired of this conclusion by now? Who even gets surprised anymore? We should’ve flipped our thinking on human exceptionalism long ago. We’re animals and have more in common with other species than we have uniqueness.
- thih9 2y ago
  Agreed. Any pet owner who actually looks at their pet knows that already. E.g.: - https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/aug/07/cats-appear-to-grieve-death-of-fellow-pets-even-dogs-study-finds https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/aug/07/cats... “Cats appear to grieve death of fellow pets” - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/dogs-words-speech-people-brains https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/dogs-word... “Man's best friend can understand both the words we say and the tone in which we say them, new brain scans reveal.“ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human%E2%80%93canine_bond https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human%E2%80%93canine_bond “Psychologists believe that the relationship between human and canine is a bidirectional attachment bond, which resembles that of the typical human caretaker/infant relationship, and shows all of the usual hallmarks of a typical bond.“
- lupusreal 2y ago
  It's a common pattern. Scientists study a thing which is commonly known but perhaps not scientifically studied before. Then when they or their university PR department go to promote their work it turns into "Scientists SHOCKED to discover..." Then people in the comments complain that everybody already knew this, then other people come in to complain about the complaints, explaining that scientific evidence for things which are common knowledge is still valuable and we shouldn't hold sensational headlines against the researchers because they're just competing for attention and besides they probably weren't even the ones to write the sensational takes, blah blah blah. It's all so tiresome.
  - latexr 2y ago
    > then other people come in to complain about the complaints (…) It's all so tiresome. The irony being that so far you’re the only person doing something even remotely similar to that in this submission. Why would your objection to the objection be more valid than the objection? Why be the one to start it when you’re ostensibly annoyed by it? > we shouldn't hold sensational headlines against the researchers because they're just competing for attention I quoted a section of the article, not the headline. You’re no longer competing for attention once someone clicked on it. On the contrary, every sentence you write which annoys readers is a new opportunity for them to leave. > and besides they probably weren't even the ones to write the sensational takes Irrelevant. I didn’t complain of the scientific work itself, I commented on the boring, repetitive remark. That’s on the writer. > blah blah blah. Indeed. This whole interaction was unnecessary. My comment wasn’t on this particular study but on the general default belief that humans are cognitively unique, despite umpteen proofs to the contrary.
Perenti 2y ago
Things are slow at Harvard these days, when they have to boast about things known for decades. Given the number of people with budgies (parakeets to those who speak broken English) I'm amazed no-one has taken advantage of this to get published before.
HenryBemis 2y ago
I was thinking that I have noticed plenty of animals 'dancing' when excited (dogs, giraffes, zebras, and many many others). So for that, I don't need a 'study' to tell me that dogs are jumping left and right (let's very freely call that 'dancing').
- throwbadubadu 2y ago
  It is amazing and confusing to me, too, everytime again I read something like that, e.g. also for "animals have feelings, empathy" etc... seriously, really? Ask anybody who has a pet or observed animals in freedom for a longer time! How can you assume the opposite to begin with, please? And it is also so directly obvious for most, in the end they are us... we just have developed recordable speech and have the best "hands" it seems... we are not too far off from "them". On-topic: Look at this parrot getting the drop better than most ravers there https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8YwaMitT4F/?igsh=Ym5nNW00MDhlZGp4 https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8YwaMitT4F/?igsh=Ym5nNW00MDh... :D
  - pjmlp 2y ago
    Because it goes against many religions and personal beliefs, that humans are the only true species entitled to such features.
- fred69 2y ago
  Definitely for anyone living in an environment that contains animals. Vastly more so for anyone connected to the Interwebs. Soooo many videos of animals responding to music by dancing. Trying to portray this as "science" is more than just irritating, it is fodder for the anti-science population to advance their garbage positions. If you are a professor somewhere and this is all you can come up with to publish, might I suggest you need to find a different line of work. Everyone has the right to _try_ becoming whatever they want but there is no right to success at it.
wewewedxfgdf 2y ago
Lots of birds dance, don't they? What about Peacocks? Lyrebirds?
- HappySweeney 2y ago
  Elephants too.
- Diti 2y ago
  The article highlights the difference between what Snowball does compared to the other birds you mentioned. Snowball has been observed dancing for the sake of it, not expecting mating or food.
  - card_zero 2y ago
    Why so sure that it isn't a mating display? Songbirds sing without specific mates in sight. Peacocks will display to humans, or cars, or almost anything. Putting on a sexy show for mates or rivals who might be watching is cheap, so birds do it casually, and it's a reward in itself. But then, I'm not sure what claim us being made. Is the cockatoo being playful for the sake of exploration? Maybe, maybe not. Does it have unlimited capacity to learn new things and expand its horizons through exploration? No, it's just going to repeat the same things all its ancestors did, transferred into new contexts.
Mistletoe 2y ago
My Mom’s African grey parrot loves to dance, I’m surprised this was a surprise? Kind of neat to see that they confirmed that they time it to the beat.
bodhi_mind 2y ago
I was literally thinking about how we dance watching my 1 year old instinctively bounce the rhythm of music and then looked at my dog just lovingly stare into my eyes. I’ve only seen humans dance.
gpvos 2y ago
(2019)

26 points by wallflower 2y ago

2019 Recommend in this vein the Huberman Lab podcast with Dr Erich Jarvis.

I love you Toto. I hate that my dad bought you and created demand for the breeding of your kind for simple human gratification. May you rest in heaven and I'll see you at some point in the future.

MrMcCall 2y ago
I, too, loath to see a bird in a cage, my dear friend. Love will help us transform this world beyond this selfish, destructive idiocy. Peace be with you. We love you.
- defrost 2y ago
  Corellas and Sulphar Crested Cockatoos don't need cages if you befriend them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbSxc6Y1aVA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbSxc6Y1aVA
  - MrMcCall 2y ago
    So long as they're free to go where they want, I've got no criticism. It's almost certainly best for them to remain in their natural habitat, however.
  - Perenti 2y ago
    Most parrots will become stay-at-homes if you treat them well. Lorikeets that become human friendly even bring wild friends home to enjoy the humans.

MrMcCall 2y ago

I rollerskated to this song when it was the #1 song for many weeks in the late 70s. What a banger! How do you think I'm gonna get along Without you, when you're gone? You took me for everything that I had And kicked me out on my own Are you happy, are you satisfied? How long can you stand the heat? --Queen "Another One Bites the Dust" An Indian man whose people endured the depradations of England's imperialists? He's got a solution for fascists, my friends. Out of the doorway, the bullets rip To the sound of the beat Look out Then, a few years later, I really liked this jam, though I don't care for the song anymore, the lyrics fit my mindset, though not all dancing requires a beat other than the compassionate resonance of the heart of humanity: We can dance if we want to We can leave your friends behind 'Cause your friends don't dance And if they don't dance Well they're no friends of mine --Men Without Hats "Safety Dance" In 2025, feel your heart, feel the love, listen to "Squabble Up" and feel this movement down in your bones. And celebrate good times! Cone on! Me and all my friends are dancing for ALL the birds trapped in cages, kept away from the beauty of nature, by ignorant narcissistic human beings who know not what life is really worth.

dole 2y ago
Ridiculous to think animals are Not Like Us, Not Like Us.

blueflow 2y ago

Who came up with the idea that only humans can dance?

HenryBemis 2y ago
Exactly. I cannot :)

latexr 2y ago

> suggests (…) animals, may be capable of some of the kind of sophisticated brain function thought to be exclusively human. Isn’t everyone tired of this conclusion by now? Who even gets surprised anymore? We should’ve flipped our thinking on human exceptionalism long ago. We’re animals and have more in common with other species than we have uniqueness.

thih9 2y ago
Agreed. Any pet owner who actually looks at their pet knows that already. E.g.: - https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/aug/07/cats-appear-to-grieve-death-of-fellow-pets-even-dogs-study-finds https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/aug/07/cats... “Cats appear to grieve death of fellow pets” - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/dogs-words-speech-people-brains https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/dogs-word... “Man's best friend can understand both the words we say and the tone in which we say them, new brain scans reveal.“ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human%E2%80%93canine_bond https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human%E2%80%93canine_bond “Psychologists believe that the relationship between human and canine is a bidirectional attachment bond, which resembles that of the typical human caretaker/infant relationship, and shows all of the usual hallmarks of a typical bond.“
lupusreal 2y ago
It's a common pattern. Scientists study a thing which is commonly known but perhaps not scientifically studied before. Then when they or their university PR department go to promote their work it turns into "Scientists SHOCKED to discover..." Then people in the comments complain that everybody already knew this, then other people come in to complain about the complaints, explaining that scientific evidence for things which are common knowledge is still valuable and we shouldn't hold sensational headlines against the researchers because they're just competing for attention and besides they probably weren't even the ones to write the sensational takes, blah blah blah. It's all so tiresome.
- latexr 2y ago
  > then other people come in to complain about the complaints (…) It's all so tiresome. The irony being that so far you’re the only person doing something even remotely similar to that in this submission. Why would your objection to the objection be more valid than the objection? Why be the one to start it when you’re ostensibly annoyed by it? > we shouldn't hold sensational headlines against the researchers because they're just competing for attention I quoted a section of the article, not the headline. You’re no longer competing for attention once someone clicked on it. On the contrary, every sentence you write which annoys readers is a new opportunity for them to leave. > and besides they probably weren't even the ones to write the sensational takes Irrelevant. I didn’t complain of the scientific work itself, I commented on the boring, repetitive remark. That’s on the writer. > blah blah blah. Indeed. This whole interaction was unnecessary. My comment wasn’t on this particular study but on the general default belief that humans are cognitively unique, despite umpteen proofs to the contrary.

Perenti 2y ago

Things are slow at Harvard these days, when they have to boast about things known for decades. Given the number of people with budgies (parakeets to those who speak broken English) I'm amazed no-one has taken advantage of this to get published before.

HenryBemis 2y ago

I was thinking that I have noticed plenty of animals 'dancing' when excited (dogs, giraffes, zebras, and many many others). So for that, I don't need a 'study' to tell me that dogs are jumping left and right (let's very freely call that 'dancing').

throwbadubadu 2y ago
It is amazing and confusing to me, too, everytime again I read something like that, e.g. also for "animals have feelings, empathy" etc... seriously, really? Ask anybody who has a pet or observed animals in freedom for a longer time! How can you assume the opposite to begin with, please? And it is also so directly obvious for most, in the end they are us... we just have developed recordable speech and have the best "hands" it seems... we are not too far off from "them". On-topic: Look at this parrot getting the drop better than most ravers there https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8YwaMitT4F/?igsh=Ym5nNW00MDhlZGp4 https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8YwaMitT4F/?igsh=Ym5nNW00MDh... :D
- pjmlp 2y ago
  Because it goes against many religions and personal beliefs, that humans are the only true species entitled to such features.
fred69 2y ago
Definitely for anyone living in an environment that contains animals. Vastly more so for anyone connected to the Interwebs. Soooo many videos of animals responding to music by dancing. Trying to portray this as "science" is more than just irritating, it is fodder for the anti-science population to advance their garbage positions. If you are a professor somewhere and this is all you can come up with to publish, might I suggest you need to find a different line of work. Everyone has the right to _try_ becoming whatever they want but there is no right to success at it.

wewewedxfgdf 2y ago

Lots of birds dance, don't they? What about Peacocks? Lyrebirds?

HappySweeney 2y ago
Elephants too.
Diti 2y ago
The article highlights the difference between what Snowball does compared to the other birds you mentioned. Snowball has been observed dancing for the sake of it, not expecting mating or food.
- card_zero 2y ago
  Why so sure that it isn't a mating display? Songbirds sing without specific mates in sight. Peacocks will display to humans, or cars, or almost anything. Putting on a sexy show for mates or rivals who might be watching is cheap, so birds do it casually, and it's a reward in itself. But then, I'm not sure what claim us being made. Is the cockatoo being playful for the sake of exploration? Maybe, maybe not. Does it have unlimited capacity to learn new things and expand its horizons through exploration? No, it's just going to repeat the same things all its ancestors did, transferred into new contexts.

Mistletoe 2y ago

My Mom’s African grey parrot loves to dance, I’m surprised this was a surprise? Kind of neat to see that they confirmed that they time it to the beat.

bodhi_mind 2y ago

I was literally thinking about how we dance watching my 1 year old instinctively bounce the rhythm of music and then looked at my dog just lovingly stare into my eyes. I’ve only seen humans dance.

gpvos 2y ago

(2019)