Study finds crows can identify symbols

UTSUNOMIYA, Japan, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Crows possess the seemingly human ability to distinguish between symbols representing different quantities, a study by Japanese researchers says.

In a series of experiments conducted at Utsunomiya University, the birds successfully selected containers containing the highest quantity of food by identifying numbers marked on the lids, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.

Shoei Sugita, a professor of animal morphology, said the findings suggest crows possess the same numerical cognition ability as humans.

In the experiment with eight jungle crows, two containers marked with numerical symbols for "two" and "five" on the lid were placed in a cage, with only the "five" container containing any food.

The crows were able to pick the correct box 70 percent of the time, researchers said.

The findings have been published in the international journal Animal Behavior.

Last year, scientists from Utsunomiya University reported crows were also capable of distinguishing between the faces of men and women.


Read more: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/10/05/Study-finds-crows-can-identify-symbols/UPI-32441317865194/#ixzz1aBox4j2Q