The Headlines

Laughter is the best medicine

A new new study at UCLA has concluded that 65 different species of animals make "play vocalizations" - which is a very scientific euphemism for laughter. The article, published in the journal Bioacoustics, recorded the laughs of various animals and categorized them as noisy or tonal, loud or quiet, high- or low-pitched, short or long, a single call or rhythmic pattern.While this research may seem like nothing more than a good chuckle, the hope is to prove a closer relationship between humans and various species through a phenomenon once thought to be exclusive to humans. So what do these laughs sounds like?

Here are bonobos laughing courtesy of the BBC and rats showing us their play vocalizations courtesy of Nat Geo. If you take nothing else away, just remember that foxes laugh like 6 year olds on helium.

Medicine is the best medicine

Bonobos might laugh, but chimpanzees are working hard toward their M.D. Chimpanzees in Gabon have been observed catching insects and applying them directly to their own wounds, and on those of other chimpanzees. This is a fascinating example of zoopharmacognosy - when animals self-medicate with plants, soils, insects, and psychoactive drugs (more on that last one in a second). Simone Pika, a biologist at the University of Osnabruck in Germany and a co-author of the study, says the insect could contain anti-inflammatory substances that have a soothing effect. The research marks an important contribution to the debate surrounding the ability of animals to show empathy toward others, as the chimpanzees were noted to be helping other members of their group. Various other animals have been known to self-medicate through zoopharmacognosy as well. The example we're most familiar with is when dogs eat grass to dispel an upset stomach, but plenty of others have been documented:

• The American black bear uses the osha root to treat arthritis pain;

• Over 200 bird species rid their feathers of microorganisms by sitting in formic acid to attract ants; and

• Pregnant lemurs in Madagascar promote prenatal health by eating bark and leaves that help with milk production.

As for the psychoactive drugs, here are two notable examples of self-induced intoxication via zoopharmacognosy. Reindeer in Finland get high on mushrooms* and dolphins will use toxins released by pufferfish to enter a trance-like state and float near the surface of the water.*Shamans of the Sami people used the same hallucinogenic mushrooms when herding the reindeer, allowing them to reach a prophetic trance in which they said they could communicate with the animals.

Super Bowl Round Up

Today is the big game and we hope you have a chance to relax and enjoy your Sunday - whether it be with football or not. Today's matchup features two animal powerhouses squaring off, as the Bengals take on the Rams.Super Bowl predictions are a time honored tradition that we will happily partake in, based solely on if a ram and Bengal tiger faced off in real life. While rams are as tough as they come and know how to use their horns to their advantage, the sheer size and predatory agility of a tiger is sure to win out. We aren't the only ones who think like this either, as Smithsonian Magazine shared a detailed breakdown of what they believe would happen in a real showdown. Football analysis at its finest.Don't take it from us though. Predications are rolling in from across the animal kingdom:Jimmy Fallon's Puppy Prediction is as cute as it gets.Fiona the Hippo at the Cincinnati Zoo is going with her hometown team.Plus, dogs, penguins, manatees and elephants place their bets in Florida.

Quick hits:

Here are the stories that caught our eyes this week and are worth a read: Humans are the main source of COVID-19, but what happens now that we've spread it to animals? [CBC]These Animals Are Feasting on the Ruins of an Extinct World [The Atlantic]In this dense Indian forest, tigers and leopards are thriving [National Geographic]

Trivia

What fish grows 20 new teeth a day?

Seriously. 20 new teeth every single day.

Find the answer at the bottom of this email!

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Your weekly dopamine

The Golden Reseaver

Thanks to the magic of photoshop - we now have

43 new animal hybrids

to consider treatments for. Our favorites? The golden reseaver (clearly), the Marmot Lion, the Toucan Chameleon, and the Dog Bunny.

As for the Snaken (a chicken-snake hybrid that will haunt your dreams), we'll take a pass.

Trivia Answer

The Pacific lingcod, an omnivorous fish with a mouth featuring over 500 teeth gains and loses an average of 20 teeth every day. It's an astonishing number, even though it's just 4% of their total teeth. Even weirder? Around 20 percent of Pacific lingcod have fluorescent green or blue meat, and scientists

aren't sure why.

Let us know what you'd like to see in future editions of Weekend Rounds by replying to this email.