Ways of expressing the very 'human' emotions of animals

In the 16th century, philosopher and mathematician Rene Descartes once claimed that animals are merely like machines with red blood in their bodies without any thought or emotion.

This view later caused a wave of protest among animal behavior researchers. They said in fact, quite a few species have affectionate lives and even distinguish right from wrong, even if only at the elementary level. From funeral rituals in the elephant population to the indignation of the nightingale when horned, all are amazing evidence that animals know how to express their 'human' emotions.

1. Elephants mourn the same kind

Elephants are one of the few species in the world of systemic animals that group ceremonies are listed as the most complex. When a member of the group dies, the remaining animals show their mourning by 'burial' them with a lot of leaves and grass and guarding the body for a week. And like people who regularly visit the graves of their loved ones, elephants regularly go to their homeland for many years later.

2. Birds also know 'adultery' and 'jealousy'

People are not the only species that is jealous. When male male painters go out to look for food, the female bird can go "adulterously" with another male. The horned males will return 'violent' behavior to their mates by returning to their hair and beaks, according to a 1975 study in Science magazine.

3. Dolphins and the principle of 'reciprocity'

Dolphins often express their affection for non-human subjects by random acts of showing kindness such as rescuing victims from sharp teeth of hammerhead sharks, and even 'generous' 'Instructions for stranded whales to find their way back to the sea.

That's good with 'outsiders', but this mammalian marine animal is quite 'stingy' to its members. Their principle is that 'having a new relationship is perfect' - a characteristic very similar to humans.

4. Mouse and sympathy with the same type

Unexpectedly, filthy creatures often appear in garbage dumps - rats - sympathetic to each other. A famous experiment in 1958 found that this rodent has a sympathy for their fellow humans like humans. In addition, another 2006 study in Science magazine also found that mice would grimace if they witnessed other children suffering from pain but only on the condition that they were "familiar" with each other.

5. Dogs also feel regretful?

While goodness and empathy can be common in the animal world, guilt is said to be the only emotion found in humans. That was the result of a study in Behavioural Processes in 2009 after finding out that 'dogs do not regret' as many people think.

In this study, owners of dogs were informed that their pets had eaten awkwardly when they left the room. Reading the anger from the owner, the dogs showed signs of repentance to sin. However, according to researchers, in reality, they only have a little sense of true remorse, which is largely due to a simple reaction.

Reference: Livescience