Bears, it turns out, are a lot like humans. They form alliances with strangers, they make calculations about relative costs and benefits, they lay down rules and punish those who break them. They trade based on a clear system of reciprocity. They communicate using equal parts emotion, intention, and dependence on context-a combination that is essential for communication between strangers and in fact forms the basis for language. . Benjamin Kilham
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Scientists have recently found that bears, in fact, are a lot like humans. Bears make alliances with strangers, they make calculations about relative costs and benefits, they lay down rules and punish those who break them. They trade based on a clear system of reciprocity. They communicate using equal parts emotion, intention, and dependence on context.

A combination that is essential for language. The findings from the study indicate that bears use a combination of vocalization and body language to exchange information with one another. In the wild, the most important thing to know about a bear is whether or not it is a friend or an enemy.

A bear will often ignore a strange bear for a minute or so before deciding whether or not it should attack.

Source: In The Company Of Bears: What Black Bears Have Taught Me About Intelligence And Intuition

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