- Reaction score
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Horses are able to discriminate between happy and angry human facial expressions, according to research.
In an experiment using photographs of male human faces, scientists from the University of Sussex showed that domestic horses "responded negatively" to angry expressions.
The scientists say domestication may have enabled horses to adapt to and interpret human behaviour.
The findings are published in the journal Biology Letters.
The team carried out their tests at riding stables - presenting large photographs to a total of 28 horses.
"One person presents the photo while another holds the horse," explained researcher Amy Smith.
"The main result," she explained, "was that they looked [at angry faces] with their left eye."
Read more here. (BBC)
In an experiment using photographs of male human faces, scientists from the University of Sussex showed that domestic horses "responded negatively" to angry expressions.
The scientists say domestication may have enabled horses to adapt to and interpret human behaviour.
The findings are published in the journal Biology Letters.
The team carried out their tests at riding stables - presenting large photographs to a total of 28 horses.
"One person presents the photo while another holds the horse," explained researcher Amy Smith.
"The main result," she explained, "was that they looked [at angry faces] with their left eye."
Read more here. (BBC)
