Goats Have Accents

Can you saw "maaaaaa" with a Tennessee twang? A goat might be able to. According to a recent study, pygmy goats in groups develop unique ways of bleating:

They found that a goats' "accent' changed as they grew older and moved in different groups, disproving claims that their voices were entirely genetic. [...]

"We found that genetically related kids produced similar calls, which is not that surprising," said Dr Elodie Briefer, who led the study.

"But the calls of kids raised in the same social groups were also similar to each other, and became more similar as the kids grew older.

"This suggests that goat kids modify their calls according their social surroundings, developing similar 'accents'."

Humans, elephants and dolphins also have accented vocalizations.

Link -via Gizmodo | Photo: Flickr user ralph and jenny