Across human cultures, people modify their speech when interacting with children, typically using higher pitches and a wider range of pitches. It’s sometimes referred to as “motherese” or “baby talk,” though it is used by caregivers of both sexes and directed towards children as well as infants. A more inclusive term is child-directed communication, but even that may not be broad enough: new research suggests that bottlenose dolphins similarly change their communication signals in the presence of their calves.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Dolphins Talk in “Motherese” To Their Calves.

Face pareidolia is an illusion that involves perceiving a face when one is not there, such as in a pattern of clouds or the scorch marks on a piece of toast. It’s a common feature of the human face-detection system and a near-universal human experience. But do other species also perceive this illusion?

Check out my latest Animal Minds blog post for the answer: Are Humans Unique in Seeing Faces Everywhere?

My Animal Minds blog post about the possible reason that shark bites occur has been adapted for the Psychology Today August print issue! Check it out on newsstands or here: The Real Reason Sharks Might Bite You.

In a new study, researchers at the University of Sussex investigated the cognitive abilities that have allowed herring gulls to succeed in urban environments. They found the gulls are attentive to human behavior and able to apply what they observe to their own foraging choices.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: That Seagull Will Have What You’re Having.

If you spend a lot of time with certain frogs, you’ll probably notice a behavior called toe-tapping: a rapid up-and-down movement of the middle toes of the hind legs. People have known about toe-tapping for a long time, but despite being so widely observed, there have been very few experimental investigations of the phenomenon, and its function is hardly clear.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Why Do These Frogs Tap Dance?