Do/can animals comit suicide ?

[El_Machinae]

but only humans understand death and know what it truly means.

Was it Taliesin that had a great post about apes learning about death, and thinking that it sucked? I'll go hunting.

 

[El_Machinae]

I found it

Perhaps even more interestingly, she [Koko]even made up a word for death-- "comfortable hole bye", if memory serves, and also refers to it as "drapes". When asked how gorillas feel about death-- sad, afraid, happy-- she replied "sleep"; she also said that gorillas die when "trouble old" (note-- she also managed to correctly identify a gorilla skeleton from among several pictures). So in general death is peaceful, but specific deaths are disturbing: when asked if Penny (her instructor) will die, Koko fidgeted for 10 seconds and then said "damn". When Penny once flippantly said to a colleague that an upcoming trip to LA would kill her, Koko rushed over and signed "frown frown frown frown frown" until Penny explained. She repeatedly says "hole" in response to the question of where the dead go, and also says "stop hole" is what makes her nervous. (The idea of the dead going to holes apparently occurred to her as a result of leafing through National Geographic magazines.) And of course, she displayed grief when her kitten All-Ball died, and much worse grief when Michael died-- she cried for weeks, refused to leave his cage, asked for a light on when she went to sleep, and insistently said "sip Mike lip", apparently describing the CPR she saw performed on him.

 

[.Shane.]

They understand the concept of 'death' quite easily.

Not exactly. 3-4 year old humans do not understand death like older humans.

And, while "great apes" may be able to understand that death is a state that is different, that does not necessarily mean they understand it like a human does.

 

[Babbler]

this one's wrong - they simply mistake the sea for a river and try to swim it.

It's nice that humanity isn't alone in suffering from mass stupidity.

 

[El_Machinae]

That's a powerful evolutionary mutation, because when they evolve the ability to make it across the sea - they'll take over everything.

It's like organisms that attempt to get to space. Eventually they'll take over the galaxy.

 

[punkbass2000]

Not exactly. 3-4 year old humans do not understand death like older humans.

What distinction are you drawing?

And, while "great apes" may be able to understand that death is a state that is different, that does not necessarily mean they understand it like a human does.

How do humans understand death?

 

[Bluemofia]

Oh!

A person on my bus had a fish that commit Suicide. It ran itself through a sharp piece of glass in the tank. Purposly. (it was painted, so there's no way it didn't see it, and it kept ramming it.)

 

[HawkeyeGS]

lemmings. I'm not sure if it is suicide or just stupidity but I guess it counts

 

[Volum]

A bird sucided on my car some months ago.

Seriously i was just casually driving to work, i see this bird sitting on a pole on the side of the road. Suddenly it throws it self out right in front of my car, he wanted me to hit him im sure. So it was a sucidal bird, probably didnt have any bird friends and didnt want to live anymore.

 

[carlosMM]

Not exactly. 3-4 year old humans do not understand death like older humans.

I never said 'exactly' - my understanding of death is most propable not 'exactly' the same as yours. But great apes do have an understnading of death, thank you.

And, while "great apes" may be able to understand that death is a state that is different, that does not necessarily mean they understand it like a human does.

but, as shown by other posters, in a similar way.

 

[carlosMM]

A bird sucided on my car some months ago.

Seriously i was just casually driving to work, i see this bird sitting on a pole on the side of the road. Suddenly it throws it self out right in front of my car, he wanted me to hit him im sure. So it was a sucidal bird, probably didnt have any bird friends and didnt want to live anymore.

those aren't suicides, but usually misjudgments of speed. Surprisingly, animals that are afraid of corssing the road because of a car coming, WILL cross it at the latest moment (which is why quite many accidents happen with elephants - imagine a 5 ton animal stepping into the road at the last second!). So the bird probably misjudged your speed and tried to cross before you passed.

 

[Timko]

I heard somewhere that a scorpion would sting itself to death if surrounded by fire, rather than try to pass through it.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

I heard somewhere that a scorpion would sting itself to death if surrounded by fire, rather than try to pass through it.

The scorpion is immune to it's own sting. The heat from the fire kills it.

 

[MobBoss]

Yes, animals can kill themselves? Is it suicide? I dont think so.

 

[Xanikk999]

Lemmings

I do know that Kanagroos are extremely dumb sometimes. Such as eating posionious plants and dying. (The Australia Bush tomateo seeds are posionous, the flesh isnt)

The lemming thing is actually a myth created by disney for one of its movies. I cant remember which but after that the image stuck. Its not really true.

 

[El_Machinae]

And the videogame is just a lie too??? Argh!

 

[Narz]

Yes, animals can kill themselves? Is it suicide? I dont think so.

What makes you not think so?

 

[Masquerouge]

When I visited Thailand, I remember elephant trainers telling us that one elephant always had two trainers, one young and one old (often father and son) so that the elephant will still have a trainer left when the old one dies, because if not the elephant will just let itself die.

I'd take it with a grain of salt, though...

 

[MobBoss]

What makes you not think so?

Because in my mind suicide implies cognitive choice. A choice to end ones life. I dont think animals make such choices cognitively, but do so as a result of instinctual behavior.

 

[El_Machinae]

I think that you could prove that either way.

Will an animal always strive to live? Or will an animal stop striving to live, even if there are possible routes?

Push come to shove, I can't think of an example of an animal not TRYING to continue living. 'Course, I'm just one man. Bluemofia seems to give a counter example.