Responses to death and dying: primates and other mammals

Although some definitions of thanatology—broadly definable as the study of death and dying—exclude nonhumans as subjects, recognition of the scientific value of studying how other species respond to sick, injured, dying and dead conspecifics appears to be growing. And whereas earlier literature was...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Primates 2020, Vol.61 (1), p.1-7
Main Author: Anderson, James R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Animal Ecology
Apes
Behavioral Sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Chemical stimuli
Conspecifics
Death
Death & dying
Evolutionary Biology
Insects
Life Sciences
Mammals
Monkeys
Mortality
Organic chemistry
Physiological effects
Primates
Special Feature: Editorial
Zoology
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Summary:Although some definitions of thanatology—broadly definable as the study of death and dying—exclude nonhumans as subjects, recognition of the scientific value of studying how other species respond to sick, injured, dying and dead conspecifics appears to be growing. And whereas earlier literature was largely characterized by anecdotal descriptions and sometimes fanciful interpretations, we now see more rigorous and often quantitative analysis of various behaviors displayed towards conspecifics (and sometimes heterospecifics) at various stages of incapacitation, including death. Studies of social insects in particular have revealed chemical cues that trigger corpse management behaviors, as well as the adaptive value of these behaviors. More recent research on other taxonomic groups (including aquatic and avian species, and mammals) has sought to better document these animals’ responses to the dying and dead, to identify influencing factors and underlying mechanisms, and to better understand the physiological, emotional, social and psychological significance of the phenomena observed. This special issue presents original short reports, reviews, and full research articles relating to these topics in New World monkeys, Old World monkeys and apes, as well as equids and proboscids. The range of events, data, hypotheses and proposals presented will hopefully enrich the field and stimulate further developments in comparative evolutionary thanatology.
ISSN:0032-8332
1610-7365
DOI:10.1007/s10329-019-00786-1