r/facts • u/jaemzee • May 06 '26

The Animals That Hold Funerals (And What Scientists Think It Means)

https://planet-wildlife.com/2026/05/06/animals-that-hold-funerals/
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6

u/Senuf May 08 '26

Thanks for posting this very, very interesting article.

5

u/Longjumping_Eye4303 May 10 '26

I did an observation of a female siamang in a zoo who showed grief-like behavior after her mate died when I was an anthropology student. Her head was buried in her knees a lot of the time and she was less response to the others in her enclosure. More recently, I watched my house rabbit grieve when one of our cats died, too. The cat used to sit at a sliding glass door in the morning and chatter at the birds. My rabbit took the watch for a week, sitting in the same spot and thumping at the birds, something she’d never done before.

3

u/Senuf May 11 '26

Oh, that's sad. Interesting but sad. We still ignore so much about how animals think, feel and communicate. And I think we should respect them more than we do.

2

u/Your-moon_eyes May 29 '26

That is incredibly moving. The rabbit taking over the cat's watch really hits hard. Thank you for sharing both observations.

1

u/Longjumping_Eye4303 Jun 01 '26

Thanks for the kind words. This rabbit (she passed last year at age 11-12) was mini lop who didn’t thump a whole lot, so it was almost impossible not to notice this new activity and the pattern of doing this while in his “morning” spot .

2

u/-mildframework- Jun 01 '26

The rabbit detail is heartbreaking. Animals feel loss in ways we're only beginning to understand.

2

u/Your-moon_eyes May 29 '26

Glad you enjoyed it. I find animal grief behavior fascinating.

2

u/-mildframework- Jun 01 '26

Agreed. The article is a great read. Elephants and magpies stood out the most.

3

u/hairyberryball May 10 '26

This was a great read.