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Do animals have senses of humor?
- Thread starter RemyZee
- Start date
It'd hard to tell.
There are certainly some things they find entertaining, but I don't know about "funny."
There is a particular dog sound - I would describe it as "a short bark made by inhaling." They do it (sometimes) when excitedly playing.
I've read this described as "a spontaneous expression of pleasure" in animal behavior literature. Seems to me that "a spontaneous expression of pleasure," if vocalized, is "a laugh."
If laughter indicates a sense of humor, the dogs seem to have one.
My dogs never laugh at my jokes though, so either I'm not funny, or the dog's sense of humor isn't very good.
There are certainly some things they find entertaining, but I don't know about "funny."
There is a particular dog sound - I would describe it as "a short bark made by inhaling." They do it (sometimes) when excitedly playing.
I've read this described as "a spontaneous expression of pleasure" in animal behavior literature. Seems to me that "a spontaneous expression of pleasure," if vocalized, is "a laugh."
If laughter indicates a sense of humor, the dogs seem to have one.
My dogs never laugh at my jokes though, so either I'm not funny, or the dog's sense of humor isn't very good.
My female cat does, she jokes with me and her male companion.
My cat likes to be mischievous sometimes. He will follow me somewhere in the house where he can't stay and when I call to him to leave he will playfully rub his head against something while looking back at me in a kinda "testing the waters" way. Then he will slightly approach, but when I turn to leave he retreats back to rubbing up against something.
Usually I end up having to go and pick him up and carry him out. He will usually be quite playful when I'm carrying him out of the room. He never intended to leave without having mildly inconvenienced me.
I'm pretty sure he finds it funny. If he could giggle, I'm sure he would
Usually I end up having to go and pick him up and carry him out. He will usually be quite playful when I'm carrying him out of the room. He never intended to leave without having mildly inconvenienced me.
I'm pretty sure he finds it funny. If he could giggle, I'm sure he would
I've seen videos of chimpanzees and donkeys that clearly understood physical comedy.
I would bet that IF animals have a sense of humor it is based on physical comedy - goofing around and enjoying goofing.
My dogs and cats are entirely immune to verbal wordplay, or stories with surprising endings.
I think some species definitely do, although some of it may get lost in human interpretations of animal behavior and our actual definition of humor. I wonder if it is especially noticeable in animals who aren't overly busy surviving. For example, very intelligent animals that are living in relatively safe and stable environments whose physiological needs are being met. Like pets.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25312-do-animals-have-a-sense-of-humour/
A few anecdotes from this website:
https://awionline.org/awi-quarterly/2011-winter/do-animals-have-sense-humor
And lastly, even though it could be interpreted in different ways, it sure seems like this little guy can have an interactive response to human laughter:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25312-do-animals-have-a-sense-of-humour/
A few anecdotes from this website:
https://awionline.org/awi-quarterly/2011-winter/do-animals-have-sense-humor
And lastly, even though it could be interpreted in different ways, it sure seems like this little guy can have an interactive response to human laughter:
Koko the Gorilla kept insisting that a white towel was red. After several goes-around with her teacher, she triumphantly picked up a tiny speck of red lint on it.
If you are throwing a stick for a dog, and you only pretend to throw it, that's funny once. Try it too often, and you'll have trouble getting the stick back. Dogs have such a hard time being understood that they can only joke with the most perceptive humans, and some just are not into comedy. However, they generally love to play, and the invitation is to put elbows on the ground with the back end up and wagging.
My friend thought his big dog was killing his cat, and rescued her. She didn't have a bruise. He still guards her from the Coyotes.
In Alaska a fishing guide set up to cook supper on a sand spit in a lake, with his clients still fishing just offshore. A grizzly bear appeared at the edge of the forest, and as soon as it was spotted, it charged straight down the spit. The guide didn't move, and the bear skidded to a stop, sniffed his nose, and ambled off. The fishers asked the guide if he maybe needed a change of underwear. "Nah - his ears were up - he was just playing."
Corvids will peck and run repeatedly, like playground bullies.
Squirrels provoke dogs deliberately.
Foxes love to get attention, and will poop in your gardening gloves if you leave them out.
If you ever see a dog dancing around, running a few steps and then looking back, follow it. If it keeps running and looking back, you are urgently needed.
If you are throwing a stick for a dog, and you only pretend to throw it, that's funny once. Try it too often, and you'll have trouble getting the stick back. Dogs have such a hard time being understood that they can only joke with the most perceptive humans, and some just are not into comedy. However, they generally love to play, and the invitation is to put elbows on the ground with the back end up and wagging.
My friend thought his big dog was killing his cat, and rescued her. She didn't have a bruise. He still guards her from the Coyotes.
In Alaska a fishing guide set up to cook supper on a sand spit in a lake, with his clients still fishing just offshore. A grizzly bear appeared at the edge of the forest, and as soon as it was spotted, it charged straight down the spit. The guide didn't move, and the bear skidded to a stop, sniffed his nose, and ambled off. The fishers asked the guide if he maybe needed a change of underwear. "Nah - his ears were up - he was just playing."
Corvids will peck and run repeatedly, like playground bullies.
Squirrels provoke dogs deliberately.
Foxes love to get attention, and will poop in your gardening gloves if you leave them out.
If you ever see a dog dancing around, running a few steps and then looking back, follow it. If it keeps running and looking back, you are urgently needed.
RemyZee
Well-Known Member
A
Oh my God he's saying peekaboo!
Oh my God the parrot is saying peekaboo!
Oh my gid
RemyZee
Well-Known Member
But what you just said is really funny so I guess you do have a sense of humor!
Levitat0r
Well-Known Member
Now, now, let's be civilized, and not quite so "humane".
I've only had close observation of dogs, small birds and to a lesser degree cats. I would say as has been mentioned that they clearly experience enjoyment and pleasure, but I have seen no evidence of humor as we understand it.
For example if one falls off his perch or accidently runs into a wall, I've never seen the others start something equivalent to laughing. Nor can I remember any reacting in any way to the action of me or one another in a way not explainable by something else (Surprise, Enjoyment, Anger, etc). They seem to take things more at face value with an instinctive response or indifference.
For example if one falls off his perch or accidently runs into a wall, I've never seen the others start something equivalent to laughing. Nor can I remember any reacting in any way to the action of me or one another in a way not explainable by something else (Surprise, Enjoyment, Anger, etc). They seem to take things more at face value with an instinctive response or indifference.
Levitat0r
Well-Known Member
They don't perceive any correspondence between others and themselves. That's why they don't recognize themselves in a mirror. If you ask me, that's what my faith is entirely about. It's about man realizing that what he does to God is his own doing, and not who God is. Let's see how many millions of years it takes to take hold.
Siberian huskies have mischievous sense of humor. 
Of course animals have a sense of humor. We seem to keep forgetting that humans are animals!
All of my best friends are of a different species. I spent most of my childhood with them. I was very close. Yes, they all had a sense of humor. It's just that most human to any other species connections are like a snapshot and most humans are very poor and dismissive of any form of communication other than that created by humans. We tend to automatically segregate.
All of my best friends are of a different species. I spent most of my childhood with them. I was very close. Yes, they all had a sense of humor. It's just that most human to any other species connections are like a snapshot and most humans are very poor and dismissive of any form of communication other than that created by humans. We tend to automatically segregate.
