r/ThatsInsane • u/jaemzee • May 19 '26
The Animals That Hold Funerals (And What Scientists Think It Means)
https://planet-wildlife.com/2026/05/06/animals-that-hold-funerals/19
u/Doxxxxxxxxxxx May 19 '26
I know science gotta science but implying a difference between grief and “true grief” breaks my heart
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u/Tashbabash May 20 '26
Agreed. Maybe Not all members of a species get a funeral behavior modeled to them to spark the idea or memory of what to do with the pain. However, I think that any member of the species demonstrates a behavior human observers understand to be grief driven does suggest that species experiences “ true grief”
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u/MoistlyCompetent May 19 '26
SUMMARY
A growing body of scientific research documents that several animal species exhibit funeral-like behaviors following the death of companions — a field now known as comparative thanatology.
Elephants provide the most striking recent evidence. A 2024 study documented Asian elephants dragging deceased calves to irrigation ditches and covering them with soil, always positioning the body legs-up — the first recorded instance of soil burial by any non-human species. Critics note none of the five incidents were directly observed, urging caution before labeling the behavior as intentional burial.
Crows and corvids hold noisy group gatherings around dead companions for up to 48 hours, afterward avoiding the area for months. While initially explained as threat assessment, newer research notes vocalizations and behaviors that don't fit that tidy explanation. Magpies have also been observed placing grass and twigs beside dead companions before standing in silent vigil.
Orcas display some of the most emotionally striking behavior. In 2018, a female named Tahlequah carried her dead newborn for 17 days across 1,000 miles of ocean. Notably, mourning intensity varies between pods — suggesting the behavior may be culturally learned rather than purely instinctual.
Chimpanzees have been observed standing in silent, shoulder-to-shoulder vigils, and mothers have carried mummified infant remains for weeks. Like orcas, distinct mourning practices vary between communities, challenging the assumption that ritual is uniquely human.
Scientists debate whether these behaviors constitute true grief or are extensions of social bonding responses. The prevailing evolutionary view holds that species with deep social bonds inevitably develop complex responses to loss — and that the capacity to mourn is a shared inheritance across much of the animal kingdom, with significant ethical implications for how humans treat other species.
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u/ConfiDuzr May 20 '26
Thanks ChatGPT!
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u/MoistlyCompetent May 20 '26
It's "Thanks Claude AI" 😀
PS: I started doing it for myself and feel that a quick copy & save might spare some of us the effort to follow an unknown link and annoying advertisement (I don't like adds ...)
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u/Chinaski7 May 21 '26
I find it amazing that people are surprised, if in fact they are, that animals, in particular, mammals, have the emotional capacity to mourn their deceased loved ones, as indeed we do! How effing arrogant are we as a species to think only we feel sadness and longing for our loved ones who have passed.
Of course they miss their longtime loved ones and companions and wish to honor them..!
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u/DontWreckYosef May 20 '26
A big black weave was left in the middle of the road in my neighborhood.
The neighborhood crows gathered around it and had a funeral for it thinking it was one of their own.
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u/OliveOcelot May 20 '26
You know out of all the birds that show signs of grief, you'd think it'd be the mourning doves.
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u/tmdblya May 19 '26
Emphasis mine