By WILLIAM SMITH
Alex, an African Grey Parrot and perhaps one of the
most intelligent ones in the world, unexpectedly passed
away in September. The average lifespan of an African Grey is 50 years. Alex was 31.
According to The Alex Foundation, the parrot had appeared healthy the day before, and
was found dead in the morning.
Alex, an African Grey Parrot and perhaps one of the
most intelligent ones in the world, unexpectedly passed
away in September. The average lifespan of an African Grey is 50 years. Alex was 31.
According to The Alex Foundation, the parrot had appeared healthy the day before, and
was found dead in the morning.
| Alex |
Following original research published by Dr. Pepperberg and Brandeis graduate student
Jesse D. Gordon in The Journal of Comparative Psychology, articles about Alex, the
“parrot prodigy,” were published in National Geographic and online at World Science.
Jesse D. Gordon in The Journal of Comparative Psychology, articles about Alex, the
“parrot prodigy,” were published in National Geographic and online at World Science.
| Saying Goodbye To Alex |
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For more information about the Alex Foundation, visit www.alexfoundation.org. |
The vet who conducted the necropsy said
there was no obvious cause of death.
Upon news of his passing, the foundation
has received thousands of e-mails offering
condolences from bird owners across the
globe.
Animal psychologist Irene Pepperberg
bought Alex in a regular pet shop when he
was about one year old. The “parrot prodigy”
was featured in science magazines. Alex
could identify 50 different objects, 7 colors, 5
shapes, quantities up to and including 6 and
the concept of “zero.”