%0 Journal Article
%T Can Donkey Behavior and Cognition Be Used to Trace Back, Explain, or Forecast Moon Cycle and Weather Events?
%A Ander Arando Arbulu
%A Gabriela Pizarro Inostroza
%A Jordi Jordana Vidal
%A Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo
%J Archive of "Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI".
%D 2018
%R 10.3390/ani8110215
%X Donkeys have been traditionally attributed the ability to inform humans about the environment. Carefully observing the behavior and cognitive reactions of donkeys in their habitat may enable to quantify such reactions to develop informative mathematical models. These models can be used to explain present environmental situations, trace back past events or even predict future conditions. Our results suggest, environmental stressing situations may affect donkeys in a way that they register the cognitive adaptations or sequels derived from such situations. Furthermore, such environmental events may not only affect the present cognitive status of the animals, but they may drive this cognitive record affecting the behavioral patterns donkeys display through their lives. Our model is able to explain 75.9% of the variability in response type and intensity, mood, or learning capabilities. Conclusively, donkeys can be used as an environment informative sensitive tool and may therefore, predict and register slight human-unappreciable climatic variations to which they may behaviorally adapt beforehand
%K cognition
%K cold wave
%K learning abilities
%K lunar phases
%K meteorological conditions
%U https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6262452/