Ducklings are among the most adorable creatures on the planet, but the fluffy baby birds are probably most well-known for the way they unquestionably follow their mothers.
But it seems that baby mallards are more intelligent than had been previously realised, according to a recent study.
Recently-hatched ducklings can understand the concepts of 'same' and 'different' - an ability previously known in only highly intelligent animals, new research has shown Ducklings learn to follow their mother through a learning process called imprinting, where they identify and begin to follow the first thing they see.
As little as 15 minutes after hatching, ducklings will learn to follow any moving object they see first which, on most occasions, is their mother.
Scientists from the University of Oxford imprinted ducklings with a pair of objects either the same as or different from each other, in shape or colour, which moved around in a circle..read more
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