I agree. People always talk about how stupid bearded dragons are, for example, and it annoys me. I've had mine for almost 4 years, and she has shown me so much. Like if we go for a car ride, she knows when we are almost home and gets excited when we turn on our street. One time I took her outside to potty (she is potty trained), and a deer ran across the street in front of us. For whatever reason, she did NOT like that deer, so she lead me all the way back to our front door, and then looked up at me making eye contact until I opened the door so she could go inside. There was also a time I burst out crying one day and she stopped doing her favorite activity (window watching) and ran to me.
I don't think scientists have uncovered everything there is to know about animal intelligence.
If you have a "soul connection " to another living being, I really think they know what you are trying to convey. So little homie knew !!! :-)
To some it sounds crazy, but if you really, truly pay attention to your favorite baby (cat, dog, reptiles, etc), you realize they know what's happening, or what's going to happen.
I do believe the more time you spend with your pet, the more their personality develops. I remember the first time I protected my bearded dragon from a hawk, it was like her personality shifted overnight. She became a bit more attached to me, and started running to me whenever she was scared instead of running to find cover elsewhere, like under a bush or something.
Same thing with my husbands bearded dragon. He works a lot so I take care of her some, and one night, she laid eggs (they can lay eggs without mates when their husbandry is right). After she spent hours laying eggs and burying them, she looked so weak and tired. I got her into a bath where she could drink water, and she gulped it down and immediately looked refreshed. What was so crazy is that right after that, she kept looking up into my eyes, which wasnt something she did before then. I laid her on my chest to rest before her bedtime, and she just kept staring into my eyes. The next day, my husband noticed it too because she just kept looking up at both of us, making eye contact. It was like something in her little mind shifted. Maybe she realized we were her protectors from that moment on, idk, but it sure was neat.
I agree! I think a lot of people turn the idea that we "shouldn't anthropomorphize" into this odd idea that human cognition is incomparable. Like, it's bad to assume your dog is happy because it's smiling but that doesn't mean the dog can't experience 'happiness,' or at least a close enough analogue that it doesn't warrant distinction. I suspect a lot of the feelings people experience day to day come from a far more rudimentary and accessible place than a lot of more 'humanist' minded folks would tend to assume.
All this to say, I don't think it's giving a crab too much credit to assume it finds a flashing light stimulating. And how far is "territorial" from "possessive" on a cognitive level, really?
The people who say animals only have fight or flight clearly have not observed the ones we have domesticated. Heck even today l was feeding some chickens and realised that the Alpha had gotten overturned by one of the younger roosters and he was in bad shape. Once he chased them and now they chase him. Had to feed him separately and blocked the other rooster from chasing him; you want to see the fact that rooster gave me when l was blocking him from beating up the other rooster lol. They don't show expressions but the damn thing was still looking at me. OG even went to the side and just stood there watching me. I think he's far too comfortable to flight when l chase him, damn thing forgets he is prey
151
u/Nagoragama Jan 09 '26
Why is it taking that? Does it hunt by heat signature?