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Pet loss is difficult for people – what about for other pets?

The Conversation · · 909 words · By Jacqueline Boyd
Grief and Loss Comparative Biology Animal Sentience

The author reflects on the death of their dog, Bobbi, and explores the concept of death and grief across various animal species. The piece combines personal anecdote with biological observations to discuss animal sentience and emotional responses to loss.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/pet-loss-is-difficult-for-people-what-about-for-othe…

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

10 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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“Some species such as the opossum, “play dead” as a survival mechanism, to make predators then leave them alone.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Wikipedia, AOL, National Geographic) confirm that thanatosis (playing dead) is a survival mechanism used by animals, specifically mentioning the 'playing possum' behavior.
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web search NEUTRAL — Technically known as thanatosis, playing dead is a way to trick predators that watch for movement in potential prey. And as the nickname “playing possum” suggests, it’s not unique to frogs. Fire-Belli…
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/151019-pl…
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web search NEUTRAL — Apparent death is a form of animal deception considered to be an anti-predator strategy, but it can also be used as a form of aggressive mimicry. When induced by humans, the state is sometimes colloqu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apparent_death
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web search NEUTRAL — Thanatosis is a survival behavior in which an animal feigns death to deter predators from eating it.Animals use this as a last-ditch defense mechanism. When all else fails, feigning death may turn off…
https://www.aol.com/articles/why-animals-pretend-dead-surviv…
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“This behaviour, known as thanatosis or tonic immobility, is also seen in some birds, snakes and insects.”
CORROBORATED
National Geographic and The Times of India both confirm that thanatosis/tonic immobility occurs in birds, snakes, and insects.
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web search NEUTRAL — 'Tonic immobility' is preferred in the literature because it has neutral connotations compared to 'thanatosis' which has a strong association with death.[1][2].
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apparent_death
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web search NEUTRAL — Snakes, invertebrates, birds, and more have evolved several reasons for feigning death.Scientifically known as thanatosis, or tonic immobility, playing dead occurs across the animal kingdom, from bird…
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/many-anim…
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web search NEUTRAL — This fascinating survival tactic, known as thanatosis or tonic immobility, is far more common across the animal kingdom than many realise. From snakes and insects to birds and mammals, numerous specie…
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/trending/9-animal…
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“Domestic cats have shown behaviour associated with grief, such as a decrease in eating, sleeping or playing, after the loss of a close companion dog or cat.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources (NPR, PsyPost, and a research study) report that domestic cats exhibit grief-like behaviors such as decreased eating and playing after the loss of a companion.
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web search NEUTRAL — This is only the second known exploration of domestic cats' responses to the death of another companion animal and reveals that cats exhibit similar grief-like behavioral changes following such deaths…
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016815912…
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web search NEUTRAL — The data showed that cats exhibited behaviors associated with grief — such as eating and playing less — more often after the death of a fellow pet, suggesting they may in fact have been in ...
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/08/nx-s1-5066480/cats-grief-rese…
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web search NEUTRAL — A study from Oakland University suggests that cats may experience grief-like behaviors, such as reduced eating and increased attention-seeking, after the death of a companion pet, indicating that cats…
https://www.psypost.org/do-cats-grieve-new-study-suggests-th…
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“Female dolphins often show attentive behaviour to their dead calves, sometimes carrying them for days.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that female dolphins show attentive behavior toward dead calves, including carrying them for days.
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web search NEUTRAL — Female dolphins often show attentive behaviour to their dead calves, sometimes carrying them for days. In 2018, a female orca was observed carrying her dead calf for 17 days, creating debate about how…
https://theconversation.com/pet-loss-is-difficult-for-people…
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web search NEUTRAL — There may be other explanations for mothers attending their dead calves, like attempting to resuscitate them. However, getting more and better data will prove difficult. Most of these grief-like event…
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/study-suggests-dol…
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web search NEUTRAL — Dolphins (Delphinidae) had the greatest occurrence of attentive behaviour (92.3% of all records), with a weighed attendance index 18 times greater than the average of all other cetacean families.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29801996/
info
“In 2018, a female orca was observed carrying her dead calf for 17 days”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific detail about a female orca carrying a dead calf for 17 days in 2018 appears in one web search result. The other provided 'evidence' (Wikipedia entries for 'Female', '1', '17') are generic definitions and do not provide corroboration for the event.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mickey 17 is a 2025 science fiction black comedy film written, produced, and directed by Bong Joon Ho, based on the 2022 novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. The film stars Robert Pattinson in the title ro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_17
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and grapheme. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Seventeen or 17 may refer to: 17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 One of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017, 2117
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“A range of other species including elephants, non-human primates and birds have all been observed displaying grief or “funeral-like” behaviour.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general facts about elephants (Wikipedia, Smithsonian) but does not mention grief or funeral-like behaviors.
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web search NEUTRAL — Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), the African forest elephant (L. cyclotis), and the Asian e…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant
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web search NEUTRAL — With fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants in the wild, every birth is a symbol of hope and a reminder that protecting elephants starts with all of us. As Linh Mai learns and grows, the animal care team w…
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/elephants
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web search NEUTRAL — Feb 18, 2025 · Discover interesting facts about elephants, the highly intelligent and social animals that roam Africa and Asia.
https://www.livescience.com/27320-elephants.html
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“Bumblebees have been seen to avoid rose flowers containing either the scent or the body of a dead bumblebee”
CORROBORATED
Two sources mention bumblebees avoiding flowers with dead bees or the scent of dead bees, although one source notes this is likely an anti-predation response rather than grief.
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web search NEUTRAL — Bumblebees have been seen to avoid rose flowers containing either the scent or the body of a dead bumblebee, suggesting an awareness of death which is a likely anti-predation response.
https://theconversation.com/pet-loss-is-difficult-for-people…
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web search NEUTRAL — Most bumblebees chose the flower containing the freeze-killed bee, supporting the hypothesis that the bumblebees in the first two experiments were attempting to avoid predation.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237973748_Bumblebee…
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web search NEUTRAL — Conversely, both honey bees and bumblebees, Bombus spp., can mark rewarding flowers with scent marks that promote probing by conspecifics.
https://www.academia.edu/12092566/Recognition_and_avoidance_…
info
“different species, including reptiles, fish and invertebrates,, have the capacity for conscious awareness of the world around them”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one source (Peter Spinks via web search) explicitly claims that insects and invertebrates possess a basic form of consciousness/awareness. Other sources are generic definitions of awareness or reptiles.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Insects and other invertebrates possess the most basic form of consciousness - an awareness of things around them. By Peter Spinks. Updated April 20, 2016 — 8.35pmfirst published at 12.32pm.
https://www.theage.com.au/technology/dawn-of-consciousness-t…
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web search NEUTRAL — In psychology and philosophy, awareness is the perception or knowledge of something. The concept is often synonymous with consciousness; however, one can be aware of something without being explicitly…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awareness
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web search NEUTRAL — Have you ever heard the word Reptile? Have you ever asked yourself "What is a Reptile?". Well if so, you're in luck because in this video we are going to l...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWacC2gy_N4
help
“red ants demonstrate necrophoresis, where the bodies of dead group members are removed from the colony”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.
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“in species considered to have more complex cognitive skills such as chimpanzees and other primates, death can be linked with behaviour patterns more akin to human grief, loss and sadness. For example, mothers carrying their dead offspring, sometimes for prolonged periods, or animals apparently cleaning the body of a deceased of a group member.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.