Big cats can tell human voices apart.
Big cats can tell the difference between human voices
New research has found that animals like tigers and cheetahs have the ability to differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar human voices.
A study saw 24 cats of 10 species exposed to audio recordings of both familiar and unfamiliar humans saying the same phrase - "Good morning, how are you doing today?"
The team analysed the cats' reactions and behaviours in response to each voice and found that they responded a lot more quickly to the familiar voice - irrespective of sex or whether they are hand-reared or mother-reared.
Professor Jennifer Vonk, the co-author of the research for Oakland University, explained that the findings could reflect the need for wild animals to keep track of who might be in the area and help the felines pay attention to warning calls from other species.