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| © Eugene Brennan |
This
isn't really a very scientific experiment, well it wasn't really an
experiment, but after hand feeding and taming robins every year during
the winter, over the last 15 years or so, I've discovered they don't
differentiate between people. So once tamed, I've found they'll accept
handouts from anyone (well two "participants" in my experiment, so as I
say, not scientific) Not sure whether this is because they can't
distinguish faces (cats and dogs can), or they just don't care or don't
have the mental capacity to do so. Perhaps they just perceive the
overall shape of a human? Would someone dressed up in a stick-man
costume work?
How do animals differentiate between trees with limbs swaying in the wind or leaves blowing on the ground and genuine threats?
I guess this is why it's safe to handle spiders and other creatures with lesser intelligence if no sudden movements are made. They just identify our hands as surfaces to walk on and don't perceive them as part of a larger organism.
I guess this is why it's safe to handle spiders and other creatures with lesser intelligence if no sudden movements are made. They just identify our hands as surfaces to walk on and don't perceive them as part of a larger organism.