Tourists risk animal bites by misreading wild monkey facial expressions as 'kisses'

Date: May 31, 2017
Source: University of Lincoln


Wildlife tourists frequently fail to identify aggressive and distressed emotional states in wild monkeys -- mistaking animals' warnings of aggression for 'smiles' and 'kisses' -- and this can lead to welfare problems for primates and risk of injury for people, according to new research.

A new study by a team of behavioural ecologists and psychologists examined whether educational tools intended to help tourists recognise different facial expressions in monkeys -- such as 2D images and information signs like those found in zoos or animal parks -- were effective in reducing harm to humans and distress to primates in destinations where wild macaques freely interact with humans.

The researchers found that tourists made significant mistakes in interpreting macaques' emotions -- such as believing a monkey was 'smiling' or 'blowing them kisses' when they were in fact displaying aggression -- despite exposure to pictures designed to demonstrate what the animals' facial expressions mean.

This level of misunderstanding could lead to increased risk of injury to humans and have a negative impact on the welfare on the animals, particularly in places where wild macaques interact with people, the study concluded.

Continued

Why the long face? Horses and humans share facial expressions

Date:

August 5, 2015

Source:

University of Sussex

Summary:

Horses and humans use similar facial expressions to communicate, according to new research.

Mammal communication researchers have shown that, like humans, horses use muscles underlying various facial features -- including their nostrils, lips and eyes -- to alter their facial expressions in a variety of social situations.

The findings, published in PLOS ONE today (05 August 2015), suggest evolutionary parallels in different species in how the face is used for communication.

The study builds on previous research showing that cues from the face are important for horses to communicate, by developing an objective coding system to identify different individual facial expressions on the basis of underlying muscle movement.

The Equine Facial Action Coding System (EquiFACS), as devised by the Sussex team in collaboration with researchers at the University of Portsmouth and Duquesne University, identified 17 "action units" (discrete facial movements) in horses. This compares with 27 in humans, 13 in chimps and 16 in dogs.

Read on ..