Animals Have a Sense of Fun

September 25, 2024 by Doctor Vernon Coleman

Human beings are not the only animals to have a sense of humour and fun and to enjoy playing games.

Masson and McCarthy, in `When Elephants Weep', report that foxes will tease hyenas by going close to them and then running away. Ravens tease peregrine falcons by flying close and closer to them. Grebes tweak the tails of dignified swans and then dive to escape. A monkey has been seen to pass his hand behind a second monkey so that he could tweak the tail of a third monkey. When the third monkey remonstrated with the second monkey the first monkey – the practical joker – was clearly enjoying himself.

We have watched lambs play their own versions of `King of the Castle', tag and many other games customarily played by children.

When scientists examined the dung of lions, the lions dug up the latrine the humans had been using and inspected their contents.

Ants, fish, birds, cats, dogs, sheep, horses, monkeys, porpoises and many other creatures have been observed playing games.

Taken from `The Wisdom of Animals’ by Vernon Coleman and Donna Antoinette Coleman – available via the bookshop on www.vernoncoleman.com CLICK HERE if you’d like to purchase a copy.

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Copyright Vernon Coleman September 2024