We delight and laugh at animals at doing funny things, but do they sometimes do them to make others laugh on purpose? Our closest relatives great apes, including orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas, love practical jokes. Researchers say that this is proof that animals too have a sense of humor.
This isn't the first time scientists have suggested this. Charles Darwin, in his book The Descent of Man, wrote about dogs and their sense of humor. He proposed that we could interpret their playful teasing while playing fetch as them playing a practical joke on their owners. There is also research suggesting dogs engage in teasing behavior among themselves just like the great apes do.
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Equestrian Lynn Acton writes that horses definitely have a sense of humor. Although horses aren't generally big on disobedience, sometimes they break the rules if they see that it makes us laugh. They understand our emotional reactions, and, if they're encouraged, they might engage in silly behavior more often.
"The question has been raised as to whether these behaviors are true humor, that is, actions intended to amuse us? Or are they learned because they received positive responses in the past? I think a repeated behavior could be either one, but a novel behavior intended to elicit laughter sounds like real humor to me," Acton claims.