Prof Hare said: “This fits beautifully with work on primates, including humans, which suggests that contagious displays – like yawning – provide a window into the mind of others, suggesting of course, that species probing the minds of others are aware that they are distinct from those individuals. That is to say, they are consciously aware.”
The team concluded that the jump-yip is used to gather social information about others to judge the risk of reducing their own vigilance. If prairie dogs were convinced their neighbours were paying attention, they felt comfortable devoting more time to foraging for food.
The Committee to Nuke Elysium 