More than a long face: horses use ‘rich repertoire' of expressions to interact
While facial movements can help members of the same species communicate emotions or other signals to each other, they can also be important for inter-species understanding – such as helping humans glean insights into the experiences of domesticated animals.
In horses, for example, ear movements have long been viewed as important indicators of their internal state. However, the new work suggests there are many more signals to look out for.
'Horses produce a rich and complex repertoire of facial expressions, and we should not overlook the nuances in these if we want to truly understand the subjective experiences of horses,' said Dr Kate Lewis, the first author of the research, from the University of Portsmouth. She said the new work could also be important for improving the care and welfare of horses.
Related: Like a Tom Cruise stunt: hawk uses traffic patterns to target prey
Writing in the journal Peer J, Lewis and colleagues report how they drew on an existing directory of horse facial movements known as the Equine Facial Action Coding System (EquiFACS) to unpick the combinations of facial expressions and behaviours made by 36 domestic horses during different types of naturally occurring interactions. These were classified by the team as friendly, playful, aggressive or attentional.
The team analysed 72 hours of filmed observations to explore which facial movements tended to occur in each context. 'Something of this size has not been attempted before in horses, and it's really exciting to see the subtleties in how animals communicate with each other,' Lewis said.
While the researchers found that almost all facial movements occurred in all of the different contexts, some were more specific to certain types of interaction. In particular, they found that during friendly, peaceful interactions with other horses, the animals tended to put their noses forward. By contrast, when paying attention to something, the horses' ears were typically forward and pulled together.
During aggressive encounters, the ears tended to be flattened and backward-facing, while the inner brows were raised, the nostrils dilated and the head lowered.
During play, the lower lip was often depressed, the chin raised, lips parted, mouth stretched open wide, and the ears rotated and flattened backwards. In addition, the team noted that during play horses often had an increase in visible eye white, the nose was pushed forward, and the head tended to be up or turned to the right, or both.
'These results really highlight the importance of not relying on just one aspect of the face, such as the ears, to understand what the horse is trying to communicate,' Lewis said. 'Instead we need to consider how the individual facial movements work together to create the overall facial expression.'
Primates and some carnivores such as bears also open their mouths during play, Lewis added, in order to indicate the interaction is not aggressive, thereby preventing unwanted fighting.
'This face has been anecdotally described in horses previously, but here we were able to show that it definitely exists and, crucially, that it involves the same muscles as it does in primates,' Lewis said, adding that the similarity suggested that the 'play face' evolved in mammals earlier than previously thought, before horses and primates split on the evolutionary tree.
She said: 'There are both similarities and differences between the facial expressions made by non-human primates and horses, so if we are to gain a comprehensive understanding of facial expressions and their evolutionary origins, we need to look beyond our closely related primate cousins.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Scientists make surprising discoveries in fight against emerging public health threat: 'The goal now should be to make their efforts count'
Scientists make surprising discoveries in fight against emerging public health threat: 'The goal now should be to make their efforts count' Microplastics are everywhere. They're in our oceans, our food, and even our bodies. According to a new University of Portsmouth study highlighted how public volunteers can help combat this invisible threat. What's happening? Researchers at the University of Portsmouth in the U.K. published a study examining the effectiveness of different protocols to capture plastic pollution on coastlines and whether volunteers can help fill crucial data gaps, like those reported by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. The research compared three leading microplastic and mesoplastic sampling methods across southern England, including two citizen science protocols and one used by European researchers. The goal was to determine which approaches are the most accurate, efficient, and easy to use. The findings revealed that while there's no one-size-fits-all method, public participation is a powerful tool. One technique, the Big Microplastic Survey, often detected more plastic than others, while AUSMAP was the fastest and most accessible. The EU's MSFD method provided the most accurate lab results but isn't practical without lab access or formal training. "In a perfect world, yes, we'd all be using the same protocol," Dr. David Jones, lead author of the study, said, per the University of Portsmouth. "But the variations in coastal geomorphology around the world make this challenging. We are not going to stop volunteers from getting involved — nor should we. The goal now should be to make their efforts count, even if their methods differ." Why are microplastics important to study? Plastic pollution is one of the most widespread environmental issues and is increasingly becoming a human health crisis. According to the study, up to 13 million tons of plastic enter our oceans every year. Larger plastics break down into smaller pieces called microplastics and mesoplastics, which can be easily ingested by marine life and passed on to humans through the food chain. Recent studies have detected plastic particles in human blood, lungs, and even the placenta. While we're just beginning to understand the long-term health impacts, early research suggests potential links to inflammation, hormone disruption, and increased toxicity. Better data collection leads to better chances to address the issue and protect our long-term health. "When it comes to understanding our plastic-choked coastlines, every piece of data counts — no matter how it's collected," Dr. Michelle Hale, co-author of the study, said, per the University of Portsmouth. What's being done about plastic pollution? While international organizations work toward global protocols, this research highlights the role of everyday people in tracking and combating pollution. Volunteer-based methods may not be perfect, but they are valuable, especially as researchers work to bridge the gap between different tools and environments. Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The study advocates for improved systems that allow for more effective comparison of data from various methods. In the meantime, individual action still matters. Reducing reliance on single-use plastics, choosing reusable alternatives, and supporting policies to limit plastic pollution can all contribute to the solution. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
5 days ago
- New York Times
This Dinosaur Probably Tweeted More Than It Roared
Since the 1930s, dinosaurs have rumbled, snarled and roared on film. But the fossilized inspirations for these cinematic characters have preserved little evidence for any such dramatic voices. In a paper published last week in the journal PeerJ, researchers announced the discovery of a fossilized herbivorous dinosaur from China preserving a surprisingly birdlike throat. It provides a clue that the origins of birdsong might go as far back as the beginning of dinosaurs themselves. The two-foot-long dinosaur, which the researchers named Pulaosaurus, was discovered in 163-million-year-old rocks in northeastern China, said Xing Xu, a paleontologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and an author of the paper. The largely complete skeleton offers a strong anatomical view into the fleet-footed, beaked animal, an early member of the family that later produced 'duck-billed' hadrosaurs and horned dinosaurs. The Jurassic period formation that produced Pulaosaurus is also the source of other dinosaur discoveries like the feathered proto-bird Anchiornis, the tiny, batlike Yi qi and the feathered herbivorous dinosaur Tianyulong. Unlike those animals, Pulaosaurus is not preserved with obvious soft tissues that could help better explain its living appearance. 'On some parts of the fossil we thought we'd found very thin filaments, but we can't confirm that,' Dr. Xu said. The team did note interesting formations in the stomach region of the fossil but hasn't determined what those are. 'They could be stomach contents — food eaten by this dinosaur, or organs, or maybe even eggs within the body,' Dr. Xu said. The most interesting remains were found within the throat. In vertebrates, vocal organs play an important role in protecting the airway and helping produce everything from simple hisses and grunts to speech. In most living reptiles, these tissues are composed of cartilage, and can produce simple bellows, grunts, groans and chirps. Modern birds have vocal organs made up partially of delicate bones, allowing them to make much more complicated sounds — including, in some cases, mimicking human speech. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Boston Globe
Caribbean American community advocates recognized at the second annual State House breakfast
Advertisement 'We are here to accentuate the excellence that we see in the room and to never forget that,' said Kwame Elias, the Director of Community Outreach at Boston Caribbean American Association. 'Without unity, there can be no community.' Boston is home to one of the largest Caribbean communities in the country. The city's Caribbean population has grown by 212 percent since 1980, with the three largest countries of origin being the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Haiti, according to Boston's Planning Department. Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, whose mother was born in Grenada and raised in Trinidad, also made appearances. Healey handed the first award to Joyce Stanton, Advertisement Stanton's 'happiness, spirit, and joy are just infectious,' Healey said. 'Congratulations to all of today's awardees,' Healey said during her speech. 'Our administration stands shoulder to shoulder with all the work you're doing.' Chrylann Barrett-Lewis, and Bay Cove Human Services, an organization that supports people with mental health challenges and substance use. When she first found out that she was nominated for the award, she was surprised. She joked that she thought the notification was a 'spam email.' The Boston Caribbean American Association had circulated a form where community members could nominate people they believe elevated the Caribbean experience in the Commonwealth. Afterwards, the board decided on the honorees. Regardless of her initial reaction, Barrett-Lewis, a first-generation Jamaican, said the award is a testament to the strides the Caribbean American community has made. 'It means everything to be able to see representation and to see other folks from the Caribbean making a life,' Barrett-Lewis said. 'A lot of folks leave their original home to come to the United States to make a 'better life.'' The award ceremony comes in the midst of a tense political climate for the Caribbean community. Last September, President Trump repeated baseless claims that undocumented Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were 'eating the dogs.' Melodie Levy, an honoree from North Attleborough, said the Trump presidency feels 'heavy.' 'Even though we are lawyers, doctors, teachers and other professionals, we're not seen as that,' Levy said. 'I hate the word 'aliens.' It just irks me.' Advertisement The Caribbean population has been in Boston for over a century — but only in the past decades has the community started to see Caribbean faces in top political positions. The Boston Caribbean American Association, which officially formed in 2024, has made progress in 'getting stakeholders to take the Caribbean community much more seriously,' Elias said. Denna Mary Gilot, who also works with the organization, emphasized cohesion among the Caribbean communities, which encompasses 13 countries. Though there's different islands, opinions, and dialects, it's about 'unity at the end of the day,' she said. In the upcoming years, the organization hopes to continue advocating for a cultural district and a 'big, welcoming community center' for the Caribbean community — the same way that there's a Chinatown for Chinese immigrants and the North End for Italian immigrants, Elias said. 'Every other immigrant community has a place that they call home. We don't,' Elias said. '(The Caribbean community) is very scattered in our different pockets, in our different neighborhoods.' With the ceremony in its second year, organizers hope to keep the momentum going. 'Hats off to the team, to everyone,' Elias said. 'Here's to year number three.' Jessica Ma can be reached at
