We humans like to think of ourselves as a special bunch, but it turns out we have plenty in common with other animals.
Math? A monkey can do it.
Tool use? Hey, even birds have mastered that. Culture?
Sorry, folks — chimps have it, too.
Here's a list of some of the top parallels between humans and our animal kin.
You may be surprised at how similar we are to even our distant relations.
Ears Like a Katydid
Humans have complex ears to translate sound waves into mechanical vibrations our brains can process. So, as it turns out, do katydids.
According to research published Nov. 16, 2012 in the journal Science, katydid ears are arranged very similarly to human ears, with eardrums, lever systems to amplify vibrations, and a fluid-filled vesicle where sensory cells wait to convey information to the nervous system.
Katydid ears are a bit simpler than ours, but they can also hear far above the human range.
Worlds Like an Elephant
Humans do reign supreme in the arena of language (as far as we know), but even elephants can figure out how to make the same sounds we do.
According to researchers, an Asian elephant living in a South Korean zoo has learned to use its trunk and throat to mimic human words.
The elephant can say "hello,""good,""no,""sit down" and "lie down," all in Korean, of course.
The elephant doesn't appear to know what these words mean.
Scientists think he may have picked up the sounds because he was the only elephant at the zoo from when he was 5 to when he turned 12, leaving him to bond with humans instead.
The Facial Expressions of a Mouse
Do you make weird faces when you're in pain? So do mice.
In 2010, researchers at McGill University and the University of British Columbia in Canada found that mice subjected to moderate pain "grimace," just like humans.
The researchers said the results could be used to eliminate unnecessary suffering for lab animals by letting researchers know when something hurts the rodents.
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