Goats are among the smartest creatures in the farmyard, research suggests.
In the first study of its kind, experts from the University of Aberystwyth tested the ability of three animals – sheep, alpacas and goats – to process information.
The scientists assessed their ability to understand that objects still exist when no longer visible, a useful skill for tracking herd members or predators in a natural environment.
As part of a series of tests, the animals were tasked with finding objects hidden under cups and were given food rewards for correct answers.
The tasks became gradually more difficult, ranging from simply hiding the object to actively swapping over the cups and requiring the animal to track the object.
The scientists found that goats had the greatest success in the tests, while the sheep and alpacas struggled to track objects when the tasks became more complicated.
Lead author of the paper Megan Quail said: ‘This study is the first to directly compare the cognitive abilities of several domesticated livestock species.
‘We found that goats demonstrated the greatest capacity to understand that objects still exist even if they are hidden – this could be linked to their need to be more selective in their eating habits.
Megan Quail (pictured) , the lead author of the paper , discovered goats are smarter than some of their farmyard peers
In the first study of its kind, experts from the University of Aberystwyth tested the ability of three animals – sheep, alpacas and goats – to process information
The tasks became gradually more difficult, ranging from simply hiding the object to actively swapping over the cups and requiring the animal to track the object
‘It may also be a sign of goats’ greater environmental awareness than sheep or alpacas.
‘The ability to track other goats or predators may be a useful adaptation when navigating areas of dense vegetation whilst foraging.
‘Equally, the ability to track and mentally reconstruct the position of stimuli within a foraging context may be a useful adaptation for greater feeding efficiency.’
In a separate study, the researchers also found that goats performed better than sheep and alpacas in another task that tested spatial memory with buckets of food.
Spatial memory is the ability to remember and navigate using information about space and location – for example, findings your way around or remembering where objects are located.
The findings were published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
