Buzz
Humans aren’t the only creatures with a sense of humor, but the laughter of other animals might be harder to detect. Species like primates, dogs, and rats all express joy through laughter, especially when tickled. Though their laughs sound different from the familiar human ha ha ha, they are still recognizable. Here's how to spot laughter in the animal kingdom:
1. Primates
Apes—including chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, and orangutans—are capable of laughing. In some species, their laugh sounds resemble panting, while in others, it may sound more like grunting or even purring.
Listen to the laughter of chimps above, and compare it with the sounds made by the gorilla and orangutan below:
In one study of chimpanzees in captivity, the chimps produced panting sounds when they were surprised by a playmate. Sometimes, the playmate would pant back, chuckling along with the chimp's laughter. Non-human primates even appear to have a sense of humor. According to Peter McGraw and Joel Warner, authors of The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny, they observed:
Koko, a gorilla from Woodside, Calif., who has mastered over 2,000 words and 1,000 signs in American Sign Language, has been known to play with the multiple meanings of words. When asked, ‘What’s hard?’ Koko signed ‘rock’ and ‘work.’ On another occasion, she tied her trainer's shoelaces together and signed ‘chase.’
Sneaky monkeys!
2. Dogs
Dogs don’t just pant when they’re out of breath. A long, loud pant can also signal a dog's laughter. The sound of other dogs' laughter seems to have a calming effect on them. In one animal shelter in Washington, the sound of laughing dogs was played over the loudspeaker to soothe the dogs there. Reportedly, all 15 dogs became silent upon hearing it.
This dog owner captured what appears to be two dogs laughing while playing together:
3. Rats
Rodents are capable of laughter, but it occurs beyond the range of human hearing. When tickled—particularly at the back of the neck—rats emit sounds in the ultrasonic range, which scientists have recognized as laughter [PDF]. They also make these high-pitched chirps while playing. In one experiment, rats that had been tickled followed the hand of the human who had tickled them, eager for more playtime. The rats that were the most ticklish were also the most playful by nature.
4. Dull Birds
Sadly, just because an animal sounds like it's laughing, it doesn't mean it’s enjoying your latest joke. Australia's laughing kookaburra is named for its call, which resembles the cackling of a villain plotting something sinister. However, the kookaburra doesn't actually find anything amusing—at least nothing that science can measure.
So rest assured, the birds aren’t laughing at you. But the dog? The dog is absolutely laughing behind your back.
