Wild Things: Life as We Know It
Dog faces, the history of laughter, snakes, and bird warning calls

Why Snakes Are So Gripping
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Avian Warning System
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Learn more about Siberian jays at the Encyclopedia of Life.
New Plant Structure
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Laugh Like An Ape
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Learn more about great apes at the Encyclopedia of Life.
Observed
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Looks: Guilty (e.g., avoids eye contact, drops its tail, lies down, rolls onto its back, slinks off).
Thinks: Who knows? But a dog's guilty look is a reaction not to whatever the dog did, but to its owner's scolding, according to a study by psychologist Alexandra Horowitz of Barnard College. One telltale bit of data: dogs gave the guilty look when their owners mistakenly thought the dogs had eaten a forbidden treat, even when the dogs were completely innocent. More study—a lot more—is required to establish whether dogs have a conscience.
Learn more about the domestic dog at the Encyclopedia of Life.