A fork-tailed drongo sits in a tree while meerkats or birds search for food below. When danger appears, the drongo gives a real warning call, helping the other animals escape. But when one of them finds a good meal, the drongo may use the same call to steal it.
Biologist Tom Flower found that drongos used direct attacks in about 52% of the food thefts he observed. In the other 48%, they gave false warning calls. The victim often dropped its food and ran away, leaving the meal behind. Tests using recorded sounds showed that the animals reacted to false calls just as they did to real ones. Drongos can also copy the warning calls of other species. If one type of call stops working, they may switch to another.
Eastern gray squirrels use a different trick to protect their food. Researchers saw them dig holes and cover the ground even when they had not put a nut inside. These empty hiding places appeared more often when other squirrels were nearby. The squirrels also became more careful after researchers removed nuts they had stored. Still, this behavior was uncommon, so most squirrel burials are real.
African wild dogs show another kind of flexible behavior. Before a pack leaves its resting place, the dogs gather for an excited group greeting. Researchers recorded 68 of these gatherings across five packs in Botswana. They found that the more the dogs sneezed, the more likely the pack was to leave.
The sneezes worked somewhat like votes, but each dog did not have equal influence. When a leading dog helped start the gathering, fewer sneezes were needed. When no leading dog joined in, more sneezes were required. Yet enough support from the other dogs could still get the group moving.
These studies do not prove that animals think exactly like humans. The drongos may have learned their tricks through experience rather than by understanding what other animals think. The squirrels are protecting food, while the wild dogs are making a group decision. The reasons differ, but all three animals can change their behavior by paying attention to others.