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Birds Do It! Bees Do It!

The African Buffaloes had agreed: It was time to head east. The decision was made quietly. Several members of the herd simply gazed into the distance, and the whole group took off in that direction.

The buffaloes' steps have set the science world rumbling. On January 9, researchers announced in Nature magazine that they have learned how some animals make decisions--they vote! The study, by Larissa Conradt and Tim Roper of the University of Sussex in England, could change the way people view animal behavior.

"Most groups of animals have a dominant leader," says Roper. People had assumed that the leader makes decisions and the group follows. This study suggests that the animal kingdom is more of a democracy.

So, how do animals vote? It depends on the animal. Roper and Conradt observed red deer in Scotland and found other examples in animal-behavior studies. Red deer move when more than 60% of the adults stand up. African buffaloes travel in the direction of the adult females' gaze. Whooper swans decide when to fly with head movements, and bees dance to get the swarm going.

Does all of this sound simple? It is. Says Roper: "Democratic decision-making needn't be a complicated business." --By Kathryn R. Hoffman

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On That Farm, They Have Some Smarts

You may have heard that chimpanzees and dolphins are among the world's most intelligent creatures. But recent discoveries have convinced scientists that many of the world's farm animals are sharper than we had thought.

Take sheep, for example. Scientists at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, England, report that sheep are good at remembering faces. In a study of sheep's memory, they found that the woolly creatures can remember 10 human faces for more than two years. Of course, sheep find their own species even more memorable. They can remember 50 different sheep faces!

Pigs are clever too, especially when food is involved. Researchers in Bristol, England, found that one pig will follow another to food and then swipe it away! Pigs quickly learn to trick the sly porkers who are out to steal their snacks.

Next: The World's Best Job?