Following the death of relatives or members of their group, many nonhuman animals act in abnormal ways. From a human perspective, these unusual behaviours, such as staying with the dead for days, can resemble something like grief. But is this a case of projection, or simply in line with decades of scientific research eroding the idea of human exceptionalism? Taking viewers through a series of fascinating examples and studies, this TED-Ed animation brushes up against the edges of our current understanding of grief in nonhuman animals, as well as the ethical implications that these limits have for how we treat animals today.
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Nature and landscape
Scenes from Aboriginal Australian pottery chart the turn of the seasons
7 minutes
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Demography and migration
The volunteers who offer a last line of care for migrants at a contentious border
30 minutes
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History of science
Insect aesthetics – long viewed as pests, in the 16th century bugs became beautiful
8 minutes
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Love and friendship
What does it mean to say goodbye to a creature that doesn’t know you’re leaving?
13 minutes
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Life stages
Grief, healing and laughter coexist at a unique retreat for widows and widowers
15 minutes
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Consciousness and altered states
What do screens depicting serene natural scenes mean to those living in lock-up?
12 minutes
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Ageing and death
Memories of friends and neighbours light the streets of a seaside village in England
11 minutes
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Ecology and environmental sciences
Join endangered whooping cranes on their perilous migratory path over North America
6 minutes
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Family life
A mother and child bond in an unusual prison visitation space in this poignant portrait
11 minutes