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Animals Respond to Death in Many Ways. Mourning Might Be One of Them.

Some species consume or bury the dead, while other animals protect and carry bodies for days. Researchers are trying to interpret the behavior.

By Caitlyn Finton
Jan 21, 2022 7:45 PM
Elephants in Tanzania gather around a dead body
(Credit: Stu Porter/Shutterstock)

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We humans are prone to anthropomorphize animals, or ascribe human thoughts, feelings and motivations to their behaviors. Often, our focus is on the cute behaviors: how animals play and love. But death is a constant specter of life, and we have been fascinated for centuries about how it affects animals. Even Charles Darwin wondered if animals recognized death and mourned death.

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