BIGEST SNAKE OF THE WORLD

�Even our closest relatives, the great apes, can�t do what Betsy can do�hear a word only one time or two times & know that the acoustic pattern stands for something,� said Juliane Kaminski, a cognitive psychologist who worked with Rico & is now studying Betsy. He & her colleague Sebastian Tempelmann had come to Betsy�s home in Vienna to give her a fresh battery of tests. Kaminski petted Betsy, while Tempelmann set up a video camera.

To find more examples, the scientists read all the letters from hundreds of people claiming that their canines had Rico�s talent. In fact, only two�both border collies�had comparable skills. of them�the researchers call her Betsy�has a vocabulary of over 300 words.

�Dogs� understanding of human forms of communication is something new that has evolved,� Kaminski said, �something that�s developed in them because of their long association with humans.� Although Kaminski has not yet tested wolves, he doubts they have this language skill. �Maybe these collies are lovely at it because they�re working canines & highly motivated, & in their traditional herding jobs, they must listen closely to their owners.�

Scientists think that canines were domesticated about 15,000 years ago, a comparatively short time in which to evolve language skills. But how similar are these skills to those of humans? For abstract thinking, they employ symbols, letting thing stand for another. Kaminski & Tempelmann were testing whether canines can do this .

Betsy�s owner�whose pseudonym is Schaefer�summoned Betsy, who obediently stretched out at Schaefer�s feet, eyes fixed on her face. Whenever Schaefer spoke,