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Do Animals have their own cultures too?!
One person said these words in a forum discussion that made me thinking:
For some archaeologists, it *is* culture that defines what it means to be human, therefore there is no such thing as civilisation without art/culture. That said, it is increasingly clear that some animal groups also have 'culture' (i.e., things learned/taught, that are specific to groups in a location and that are not passed on genetically but that are essential to that group for reasons of sociality or reproduction rights). Depending on how you define 'culture', non-human primates have culture, dogs might have culture and perhaps we can understand bird-song as culture as it is learned and, in exceptional circumstances, individuals of one species can learn the song of the 'wrong' species when brought up as members of that species. See Rosemary Grant, Princeton University and her husband's work on Galapagos finches on this.
My reply to her: Culture , according to some definitions is of three types: (1)Excellence of taste in fine arts and humanities (2)An integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning (3)The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization, or group.
Yes, Some birds build nests and decorate them with all sorts of things very artistically to attract mates. Some birds again sing and dance in rhythmic patterns in mating rituals! Is this their culture?
So in that sense do animals have cultures like you say? Interesting question to ponder!
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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 2, 2012 at 7:34am
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http://iscience.in/news/226/pilot-whales-use-synchronised-sw
Whales and synchronized swimming!Mating rituals of animals:
http://ecology.about.com/od/Species-Interactions/tp/10-of-the-Crazi...
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Ms. Weare, we need observations and more experiments to find out this interesting aspect about animals. Your observations on your pets or farm animals is really encouraging. So please go ahead and observe and tell more about their behaviour.
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Comment by Sally Weare on March 29, 2012 at 6:05am
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Yes, culture in animals--what an interesting question!
I am lucky enough to be observing a herd of @30 domestic horses that my two (Laguna, a Spanish Mustang mare, and Zephyr an Arabian gelding) have just joined this month--up in the Berkeley/Orinda, California hills.
Their existing social order has been momentarily upset by the addition of my horses and two more are coming in soon. So I know their behavior does not resemble that of a wild horse herd that has existed for generations to potentially develop consistent "values" and imperatives--but I have already definitely noticed how subtly they communicate with each other and react to newcomers. Their personalities and also previous experience are immediately evident. For instance, Laguna's confidence in expressing clear boundaries has saved her from getting kicked or bitten. Even when approached aggressively by some horses at first, her lack of fear and level-headed reactions to aggression--she simply moved away quickly or stayed put without showing fear--won her a high level of respect. This didn't happen instantly, there were a few skirmishes, but aided by the loyalty of some of the others she had met in a paddock before, she was never alone or ostracized. I now find her often at the center of the herd--the edges being, for prey animals, not the smartest places to hang out!
Zephyr came in around three weeks later than Laguna (has been there only a week), and since he has her support (they have lived together for 5 years), his entry has also been quite smooth, although he is not as savvy as she is and has been kicked on his chest (not serious). But he seems calm and very happy. This is a relief for me, since he, unlike Laguna, was not brought up in a herd, and I worried that his hot temperment would put him in danger.
What I've been observing is from my human's point of view--but that has not altered what has actually happened, since these horses are completely on their own in @500 acres of watershed hills and meadows.
But I will continue to observe them with the question of what makes a "horse culture" on my mind!
I will certainly be watching for learned behavior
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