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Are animals ticklish? |
by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
Sound it out!
Aside from the usual barks, clucks, moos, meows, and chirps, what are some other noises you’ve heard animals making? What do you think some of those specific noises mean?? Have you ever heard a noise that might have been your pet laughing? If so, what was happening when all of the “laughter” began??
Tickling is a funny thing! Scientists are constantly learning and discovering new things about this ticklish subject!
From what we know right now, it seems pretty certain that some kinds of animals are ticklish. Primates (like monkeys and apes) react to ticking very similarly to the way we do – by squirming and laughing. But with other animals, it’s harder to know if the sounds they make and the squirming they might do are laughing and writhing from a tickle, or calls for help and attempts to get away! (And not the funny kind you do when being tickled.)
However, by studying the reactions of certain animals, scientists have been able to narrow down a few others they believe are ticklish, including dogs and even rats! It’s possible that more ticklish animals will be discovered soon too. – Laugh on!
From what we know right now, it seems pretty certain that some kinds of animals are ticklish. Primates (like monkeys and apes) react to ticking very similarly to the way we do – by squirming and laughing. But with other animals, it’s harder to know if the sounds they make and the squirming they might do are laughing and writhing from a tickle, or calls for help and attempts to get away! (And not the funny kind you do when being tickled.)
However, by studying the reactions of certain animals, scientists have been able to narrow down a few others they believe are ticklish, including dogs and even rats! It’s possible that more ticklish animals will be discovered soon too. – Laugh on!
Sound it out!
Aside from the usual barks, clucks, moos, meows, and chirps, what are some other noises you’ve heard animals making? What do you think some of those specific noises mean?? Have you ever heard a noise that might have been your pet laughing? If so, what was happening when all of the “laughter” began??
- Boyle, Alan. Cosmic Log. 4 Jun. 2009. MSNBC. 23 Oct. 2010
- Bering, Jesse. “Laughing rats and ticklish gorillas: Joy and mirth in humans and other animals.” 3 Aug. 2010. Scientific American. 23 Oct. 2010
- “Tickling.” 2004. Psychology Encyclopedia. 23 Oct. 2010
- “Animals Being Tickled (Videos).” 27 Mar. 2010 The Huffington Post. 23 Oct. 2010