Study finds wolves yawn when they see others of their kind do the same

Aug 29, 2014 22:03 GMT  ·  By

A recent paper in the journal PLOS ONE argues that, according to evidence at hand, wolves can easily catch yawning from one another. In fact, it appears that yawning is surprisingly contagious in the case of these predators.

After closely monitoring a pack of wolves living at the Tama Zoological Park in Tokyo, Japan, over a period of time of five months, specialist Teresa Romero and fellow researchers concluded that wolves often let out a yawn or two when seeing others do the same.

What's interesting is that, according to these specialists, yawning is more contagious among wolves that share a strong bond. Besides, it looks like male wolves take longer to respond to a nearby yawn than females do.

“In wolves, as well as in primates and dogs, yawning is contagious between individuals, especially those that are close associates,” research Teresa Romero with the University of Tokyo in Japan said in a statement, as cited by Live Science.

As explained in the journal PLOS ONE, the outcome of this investigation supports previous theories that yawning is a social phenomenon. What's more, this recently obtained evidence indicates that wolves are capable of empathy.

Since female wolves appear to be more vulnerable to contagious yawning than males are, researchers cannot help but wonder whether or not this might be due to the fact that they are more responsive to social stimuli.