While neither species laughs like a human giggles, each has their own joyful noise.
A recent UCLA study published inBioacousticsdiscovered that 65 animal species have their own form of laughter.
Among the species who make such playful vocalizations are seals, dogs, rats, and mongooses.
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These noises may offer clues about the evolutionary purpose of our own human laughter.
These sounds are thought to indicate non-aggression during play.
They vary in pitch, length, and volume by species.
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Somelike the laughs of chimpanzeesare familiar to the human ear.
Otherssuch as those of ratscannot be detected without scientific technology.
Scientists have long posited that human laughter has an important social function.
This poses new and interesting evolutionary questions for researchers.
One of the first animal laughs to be discovered was the ultrasonic squeak of the rat.
Scientists at Humboldt University of Berlin investigated the science of touch by tickling rats while recording their vocalizations.
The team discovered that the rats appeared to love the tickling of their backs.
Their squeaks reached 50 kHz, the pitch of a happy rat receiving food or socializing with its fellows.
Now, it seems such joy is widespread in the animal kingdom.
Further research will perhaps discover even more laughing species.
