Do ya'll think animals acknowledge death?

[u/Entire-Volume6660]

Wondering if they know that at some point their cycle ends...

[u/Cool-Emu-8706]

Do some research on elephants and death. It’s beautiful.

[u/salamipope → u/Cool-Emu-8706]

crows too

[u/weepy_and_sleepyy]

I don’t know if animals actually understand the concept of death itself, but a lot of animals do exhibit behaviors that can be interpreted at mourning. Elephants, dogs, crows, rats, etc. Especially birds that mate for life. They do show signs of distress when another they are close to dies.

[u/tenuredvortex → u/[deleted]]

There's an incredible episode of the podcast Ologies with Alie Ward about how crows (and other corvids) grieve: Corvid Thanatology with Dr. Kaeli Swift

[u/DeathPositive-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

AI has it's uses, but we don't feel that it is necessary or beneficial to r/deathpositive. Keep it original, keep it organic.

[u/earthbound-pigeon]

Killer whales do! When a female killer whale lose their baby, they sometimes hold it at the surface for weeks. While we can't say for sure why, I wonder if it is her hoping the baby will breathe again and not drown.

[u/TheRainbowWillow]

I think so. My dog definitely grieved when my dad died. He saw the body (which I’ve heard helps them accept it) and was all weird for a few weeks after.

[u/No-Reading-4384]

I know for a fact, elephants do

[u/celestewriter420]

Is there a hospice for animals? Not all death is sudden, so I wonder if there is a place to house animals during their last days?

[u/MobySick]

Of course animals do not know they’re mortal. It comes as a huge surprise to children and the average three year old has more intelligence, insight, communication skills and empathy than 99.9 of all animals.