By four months of age, the cognitive performance of ravens in experimental tasks testing their social intelligence and understanding of the physical world parallels that of adult great apes, according to a new study. The results indicate that not only do ravens possess sophisticated cognitive skills, but they also develop these skills rapidly.

Read more about this study at my Animal Minds blog: The Raven: A Birdbrain Nevermore.

According to the World Health Organization, noise caused by human activities is one of the most hazardous forms of pollution. Now, a new study shows that human-made noise could hamper the communication of a variety of different animal species, from insects to frogs to birds. The meta-analysis found animals exposed to human-made noise adjusted parameters of their acoustic signals, with potential consequences for mate attraction, territory defense, and parent-offspring communication.

Read my latest post at Animal Minds: Noise Pollution Hampers Animal Communication.

Visual illusions remind us that we are not passive decoders of reality, we are active interpreters. Our eyes capture information from the environment but our brain can sometimes play tricks on us, making our perception differ from reality.

Scientists have used illusions to explore the psychological and cognitive processes that underlie human visual perception for many decades. More recently, evidence is emerging that demonstrates many animals, like us, can perceive and create a range of visual illusions. Understanding where these illusions arise in different brains could help us not only learn more about how we perceive our world but how other animals perceive theirs.

Read my story on animals and optical illusions at National Geographic: Which optical illusions can animals see?

Many birds and mammals are socially monogamous — males and females pair up, live together, and often raise their young together. However, once methods for genetic paternity testing were introduced, it became clear that a great many socially monogamous animals are sexually unfaithful. In pair-living species, genetic monogamy is rare. In a new study, scientists report that coppery titi monkeys living in the Amazon lowland rainforest appear to be an exception. Researchers from the German Primate Center (DPZ) - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen could not find evidence for extra-pair paternity in their study population in Peru.

Read my post here: Monkeys Suggest What It Takes to be Monogamous.

The slow loris seems adorable. But its puppy-dog eyes and charming face mask belie its wild nature: These primates can be positively pugnacious, defending territories and offspring with venomous — and sometimes fatal — bites.

Read about the latest research on slow loris venom and behavior at my Animal Minds blog: Why are these Adorable Primates Venomous?