It’s no tall tale! Giraffes make decisions based on mathematical statistics

They already stand head and shoulders above the other zoo animals.

But it’s not just their height that makes giraffes stand out, according to a study.

They also appear to be able to make predictions based on statistics. Four giraffes at the Barcelona Zoo were able to calculate how likely they are to get their favorite treat.

Prediction based on statistics is a highly developed reasoning skill and has only been seen in large-brained animals such as primates.

For the study, two male and two female giraffes were shown two clear boxes filled with vegetable sticks. Each had a mix of carrot and zucchini sticks, with carrots being preferred.

With closed fists, researchers pulled a stick from each box and allowed them to choose between the options.

A barrier was then placed in both boxes so that the giraffes could only consider the top part of the container when making their decision. In 17 of the 20 experiments, they chose the container more likely to produce carrots.

Alvaro Caicoya, from the University of Barcelona and an author of the study published in Scientific Reports, said the results suggest that “large relative brain size is not a necessary condition for statistical ability.”

For the study, researchers presented four giraffes — two males and two females — with two clear containers filled with vegetable sticks.

Each box had a different mix of carrot and zucchini sticks with carrots being preferred.

Initially, a researcher surreptitiously pulled a stick from each container with closed fists and allowed the giraffe to choose between the two options.

The researchers then raised the bar by placing a physical barrier in both containers so that the giraffes could only consider the top part of the container when making their decision.

In 17 of the 20 experiments, the giraffes were able to select the container most likely to produce their favorite carrots.

For the study, two male and two female giraffes were shown two clear boxes filled with vegetable sticks. Each had a mix of carrot and zucchini sticks, with carrots being preferred

A barrier was then placed in both boxes so that the giraffes could only consider the top part of the container when making their decision. In 17 of the 20 experiments, they chose the container more likely to produce carrots

This was based on the relative frequencies of food in the containers, and not other information such as their sense of smell, the researchers said.

The team said the findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, suggest that giraffes, despite having a relatively small brain size for a mammal, have more advanced statistical skills than previously thought.

Mr Caicoya added: ‘The results of the study suggest that large relative brain sizes are not a necessary condition for the evolution of complex statistical skills.

Statistical skills can provide crucial fitness benefits to individuals in making inferences in a situation of uncertainty, and it should not be surprising if these skills are widespread.

‘The savannah environment in which giraffes live, for example, is characterized by widely spaced trees.

“So it’s probably an evolutionary advantage to be able to identify from a distance which trees have the best proportions of leaves and flowers for the giraffes to consume.”

“This ability allows giraffes to conserve energy by avoiding unnecessary travel to less desirable food sources, and instead focus their efforts on reaching the trees that provide the most beneficial nutrients.”