Can Animals Count? An Exploration of Numerical Competence in the Animal Kingdom

Can Animals Count? An Exploration of Numerical Competence in the Animal Kingdom

The straightforward solution is that many animals exhibit numerical competence—they can distinguish between quantities and perform tasks that appear to involve counting—but their abilities are generally limited to an approximate number sense rather than exact counting as humans understand it. In this article, we will explore what it means to “count” in the animal kingdom,…