The idea of majority rule is nothing to sneeze at—unless you’re a wild dog.
New research shows that when African wild dogs are deciding whether to hunt as a pack, they cast their “votes” by sneezing.
According to researchers at the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust, one dog starts things off by gearing up to move and sneezing one or more times. If a majority of other dogs follow and achoo too, the pack goes on its way.
However, experts found that the dogs haven’t created a true democracy: A dominant male or female needs to sneeze fewer times to get the pack to move than dogs that rank lower in seniority do.
Although gorillas grunt to reach consensus and capuchin monkeys trill, this marks the first time an animal has been shown to vote by sneezing.
“We discovered how amazingly complex this social behavior is,” says researcher Reena Walker. “[It] opened a new door into our understanding of different ways animals may communicate.”
Experts hope the study will also help raise awareness about the wild dogs, which are endangered.