animal behavior

Brain scans show dogs process human smiles as rewards

Dogs do not just read the room — they read the face. A pair of studies published this week offer new evidence that the canine brain is wired to decode human emotional signals, shaped by thousands of years of domestication…

Dolphin carries dead calf for days in act of grief

A bottlenose dolphin named Fraggle has been observed carrying the body of her two-week-old calf through Western Australia's Leschenault Estuary for several days, in what marine experts describe as a mourning ritual that highlights the deep emotional bonds among cetaceans.

Sperm whales blow bubbles in their sleep to stay submerged, study finds

Sperm whales release gas bubbles while napping vertically underwater to keep themselves from floating to the surface, according to research published on Wednesday in the Journal of Experimental Biology. The study, conducted by scientists at the University of St Andrews…