Ha Ha Ha = “I’m Old and Important”?

(PHOTO:Frédéric Theunissen)

For spotted hyenas, it seems, laughter encodes crucial information. Two zoologists who studied a group of the animals in captivity found that the pitch of a hyena’s “giggle” indicated how old it was, while the frequency of “notes” in its laughter told others in its pack whether it was a dominant or subordinate animal. What we hear as hysterical amusement may actually help hyenas sort out rights to food or summon others to their aid.

You can read the article, published in the open access journal BMC Ecology, here and, more importantly, listen to hyenas giggling here, here, here, and here.