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better than half our interns (lemmy.blahaj.zone)
submitted 3 months ago by to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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Twitter post from Moonlit Sentences Arizona DOT installed a wildlife camera at Route 87's pedestrian crossing outside Payson last September. Standard deer migration count. After six months, they had footage of zero deer and 147 clips of the same coyote pressing the crosswalk button with its paw at sunrise. The animal waits for the walk signal. Steps into the road. Crosses at a trot. Every single time. Biologists believe it learned by watching hikers at the adjacent trailhead. "It's not random," said the lead researcher. "That coyote understands cause and effect better than half our interns." DOT voted unanimously to keep the camera running. The coyote hasn't jaywalked once.
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[–] 1 point 3 months ago (4 children)

You mean dogs can't be taught things?

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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago* (3 children)

    No, I don’t mean that.

    1. Dogs can’t teach themselves everything.
    2. That’s not a dog.
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  • [–] -1 points 3 months ago (2 children)
    1. They don't have to. Unless you think pushing a button in reach is a truly impossible feat to overcome.
    2. It's close enough to a dog.
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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Is that what the story claimed? That a coyote just pushed a button?

    Coyotes are not as trainable as dogs because they didn’t evolve alongside humans for thousands of years.

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  • [–] -1 points 3 months ago

    I dunno. When did the first humans arrive in North America? You're talking like we don't have examples of other animals learning about/from humans in significantly less time than "thousands of years".

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