Animals grieve if their lifestyle permits it

摘要

Whether animals comfort dying comrades and show signs of grieving for the dead may depend on where they live, as well as on how compassionate they are. Many primates carry the bodies of dead infants around with them for days or even weeks. Peter Fashinc of California State University in Fullerton and colleagues have observed similar behaviour in a band of over 200 geladas (Theropithecus gelada), monkeys related to baboons living on alpine grasslands in Ethiopia. Between 2007 and 2010 they saw 14 females carrying dead infants.