Devyani Goswami, Amity University Kolkata
Are you looking for an adorable eavesdropping neighbor, whose talent for judging everyone amazes you every moment? Then you must befriend a family of marmosets, who have been recently recognized for their incredible talent of judging other animals around them.
Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) are native to the forests of north-eastern Brazil, trotting between branches like squirrels. They are tiny with clawed fingernails, weighing about 250 grams, and have white ear tufts. They live in a family of 15-17 members, where each has a social status just like human relationships, although out of these members-only two come together to breed; after which the whole family looks after the newborn.
Marmosets are known for their ability to rely on each other for this reason they choose their nannies after a lot of evaluation for the rearing of the child. This is the sole reason why marmosets are known for eavesdropping.
The real mystery lies in the minds of these amazing animals; for which Judith Burkart along with the colleagues of the University of Zurich (UZH), conducted a study on these animals, where they placed a marmoset in a room and played marmoset voices from a hidden speaker. An infrared camera was used to record the temperature of the noses of these animals. Their temperature raised when multiple voices were played, in contrast to the single vocalization used for the control record.
Apart from this, the animal was put in a room filled with soft toys with a large mirror so that they would consider their reflection as their fellow mate. The result showing that they did approach their reflection and made efforts to socialize but with no reply call, they were turned more to the sounds coming from the hidden speakers and interacted with these sounds more positively.
This study concluded this species to be not only an observer but also an excellent decision-maker. So would you like to have such an intelligent judgemental neighbor?
Also read:CODA – A NEW FLUORESCENCE POLARIZATION SYSTEM FOR RAPID DETECTION OF SARS-CoV-2 VIRUS
Source: Marmosets eavesdrop on their neighbors—and judge them accordinglyhttps://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/02/marmosets-eavesdrop-their-neighbors-and-judge-them-accordingly
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