http://www.lightwatcher.com/animaltalk/dogs_last_laugh.html
"...Professor Robert R Provine also notes instances of perceived laughter in chimpanzees in his book Laughter: A Scientific Investigation. While studying the origins of the human laugh, Provine spent time tickling and playing with young chimpanzees at the Yerkes Regional Primate Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Provine discovered chimpanzees responded to pleasurable stimulus in the same way as dogs by emitting a breathy, panting sound. The studies have many implications for scientists wanting to know more about how laughter is used as a form of communication, not only in animals, but ultimately in humans. The initial research notes that dogs usually restrict making their "laugh-pant" noise to when they are around other dogs. This would indicate the sound is a communication tool, allowing other dogs to pick up the mood of dogs around them. Like humans, animal laughter appears to be infectious, with all dogs seeming to respond to an initial burst of "dog laughter" with a mirrored sound of their own." There are a lot of interesting little stories/links at this site, everything from a lioness who adopted an oryx calf, to a horse that defends her adopted herd of sheep from coyotes, to a pot-bellied pig who helped bust a drug dealer. Some of the links are no longer active. http://www.lightwatcher.com/animaltalk/animalbytes_archive.html Four Feet Good Maru __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
