Giraffes May Be Better At Math Than You Might Think
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As the tallest land animals on Earth, giraffes are famous for reaching high up into the trees. Now, it turns out their minds can reach pretty far, too! Researchers from the University of Barcelona have found that these smart animals can do simple math.
For the study, the team worked with four giraffes at the Barcelona Zoo. These giraffes had already surprised them in a 2023 study. In that experiment, the animals had to repeatedly choose between two containers filled with different amounts of carrots and zucchini. They picked the container with more carrots each time.
Since the giraffes clearly liked carrots, lead researcher Iker Loidi and his team decided to use them again. They began by placing one green box and two yellow boxes on a table at the giraffes' eye level. The giraffes got to see how many carrots were in the two yellow boxes. They then watched as the scientists added carrots from the green box to one of the yellow boxes. To get it right, a giraffe had to remember how many carrots were in each yellow box and pick the one with the most.
Of the four giraffes tested, two — Nuru and Njano — picked the right yellow box each time. The other two giraffes tried using clever shortcuts. Sometimes they just picked whichever box the scientist's hand touched last. Other times, they chose the box that had the most carrots at the very start. The researchers think that just like humans, giraffes may have different ways of solving problems.
Overall, the giraffes performed well in the experiment. But all the animals struggled to pick the right box when the scientists took carrots away or moved them between boxes more than once. This suggests that they may have more difficulty keeping track of amounts when quantities are changed several times. Still, the results indicate that giraffes can keep track of small numbers.
The scientists published their findings in the journal Scientific Reports on June 26, 2026. They believe that the basic math skills might help giraffes in the wild. For example, it could help them choose the best food sources or keep track of other giraffes in their groups. More research is needed to understand exactly how giraffes process numbers.
The study adds to growing evidence that humans are not the only intelligent animals. Scientists have found that chimpanzees, dolphins, elephants, and some birds can also distinguish between different amounts.
Resources: BBC.co.uk, Smithsonianmag.com, Phys.org
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26 Comments
- wemumorukaho1 daythis is so clever!
- fizejokodomi1 dayI sometimes do what the other two giraffes did the ones that used clever shortcuts. But either way that was very cool. I want more articles like this one
fisarivitege2 daysThat was surprising!
turntochrist2 daysgiraffes are so cool- winirinazefu2 daysi did not no Giraffes do math to that is nice
iuna-0r6432 daysWOW!!!! These animals can tell the weather from up like 50ft and can tell you the solution of y intercept... They are way smarter than me.🤯
dinonerdy2 daysdang I thought I was smart
pofanerotosa3 daysMath is very important and you need it as a life skill.
ray-is-gae3 daysGiraffes are tuff- kamehamehaaa3 daysIt is important to remember that this study only demonstrates basic, elementary-level math skills, similar to what a kindergartener or first grader might learn.
