How Do Animals Think?

Animals dont think any way like us ( then again it would depend on the animal).


Many things animals do, we always think " oh its smiling!" no, dongs dont smile, becasue smiling is gneraly a human attribute. The only thing we do know, is that animals see the world totaly different then us, and can inerpret it, only instinctivly.

OF course animals and other life feels pain, and gets what we interpret as "happy" or "sad", but that doesnt mean its the exact same emotions we feel. Humans anthropimorphize too much in our history.

[daisy]

I think animals and their intelligence and understanding is grossly underrated

[Silver]

Originally Posted by Time

Many things animals do, we always think " oh its smiling!" no, dongs dont smile, becasue smiling is gneraly a human attribute. .

I've seen dogs smile...it's just at the other end!

LOLOLOLOLOL thanks silver :P

Daisy - If that was directed at me..

I dont mean to sound like i think animals are sentient. Please trust me, I think they are very very misunderstood and underated ( the same as plants BTW), not to mention intellegent, and able to read how you feel. They know a bad person ( someone who is going to harm them), when they see one. The fact they bond with you, makes is think they are human like ( when they are not), but that doesnt take away fromt he fact that its actualy thinking of you as one of its own basicaly.

I worked in a pet store for a few years, not to mention always having pets. I know animals well enough.

But i cant say they think anyway like we do, because lots of us dont even think the same.

[daisy]

Daisy - If that was directed at me..

No it wasn't, just adding my opinion is all :)

time, " no, dongs dont smile, becasue smiling is gneraly a human attribute"

Sure it's human, we have the facial muscles for it. But i have a dog Time, that is crazy over our son, and when she sees him she makes a special panting noise: heheheheh, that she doesn't use at any other time, i am not saying it's laughter but it sure resembles it.

If i can joke with you, i agree we tend to anthromorphisise animals too much, i see no reason to insult them so.

By watching them i am convinced dogs are intellegent. I've actualy seen one dupe another into leaving a fav toy so they could have it, and when i ask them where a toy is they will use the same eye pattern as a human uses when accessing memory.

Silver...lol, my thought too about dog smiles

Dogs and cats work using a visual memory system.They are also quite psychic.I have spent years working with animals and that is the conclusion that I have come to.I have a lot more respect for animals than I do for humans.Maybe thats why I have so much fun with them.

[NightSpirit]

I really don't know, but with dogs, I definitely feel they have some kind of ability to rationalise based on past experiences.

[Asrais]

I have spent many years learning about different animal "languages", mostly body language. There is no doubt in my mind that they think.

I have owned guinea pigs, dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, mice and fish and I have cared for ferrets, rabbits, rats and worked in a zoo with otters, tapirs, hippos, apes, monkeys, kangaroos, wallabies, tazzie devils - geez, you name it, I have worked with it!

I even had a goldfish that would react in different ways according to variations in their routine, including "sulking" if he didn't get fed on time.

The main difference between animals and ourselves is the ability to understand linear time - animals live in the now, and only "think" about their situation right at the moment they are in. We talk so much about living in the now, animals are way ahead of us there!!

[NightSpirit]

I agree Asrais. I had two different kinds of fish that acted in a way that was NOT fish-like. One (a siamese fighter) used to greet me against the bowl whenever i came into view after a long absence. He watched me intently and moved his fishy body to follow me. I always felt these pair of eyes staring at me all the time. lol

The other ( a plattie) used to chase the other bully fish away when they picked on the runt.

Not normal behaviour for fish and I won't even begin with dog stuff