Animal Cooperation in Animal Kingdom - Essay Sample

Introduction

The Animal Kingdom has set a clear demonstration of animal activities that have scientists analyzing animals' social settings. It has been a debate in local discussions where some people without science knowledge acknowledge that animals may have specific intelligence that helps them organize themselves in a certain way. Animals engage in social activities among themselves, and they seem to plan their activities. Animals of the same species mutually understand each other and fit in amongst themselves well without strain. Mixed animal species as well form animal classes where they can still fit in an everyday social setting. However, some animals cannot fit with others, and the fact that they recognize they cannot fit with others demonstrates a sense of intelligence in the animals. Scientists have come up with theories that they use to demonstrate how animals make decisions among themselves and how they socially live together.

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Functional Groups

Animals practice rope pulling, and this demonstrates their cognition of social lives among themselves (Duguid & Mellis, 2020). An example is a herder who observes their goats pulling a rope against their opponents. The rope pulling exercise is fun for the goats because they are trying to win against their opponents (Duguid & Mellis, 2020). In the end, there is the winning group. A herder who does next understand the process may disrupt the goats, which creates a disturbance to the goats. It is not clear if the animals get angry when their play is disturbed, but they likely feel offended by the person disturbing the play (Duguid & Mellis, 2020). The play is a source of entertainment for both the animals and the herder, and it demonstrates some sort of social intelligence among the animals. Without intelligence, the animals may not understand how to split themselves into functional groups and engage in plays. Some animals demonstrate particular skills in the rope pulling exercise, which is a clear indication of social intelligence in animals (Duguid & Mellis, 2020).

Animals may or may not be aware of fairness and equality in their social activities. Some plays require fairness in the division of groups and the strength of an animal compared to the other (Duguid & Mellis, 2020). some animals are stronger than others. A balanced and fair play should consider balancing the animals from all sides of the play so that some animals are not disadvantaged because of their general weaknesses in either size or numbers. A play between two animals like rope pulling is almost fair because the other animals do not interrupt but watch as the play continues (Duguid & Mellis, 2020). The process of carrying out the exercise between two animals and leaving others out of the play to watch shows social intelligence. The animals watching are deemed knowledgeable because they rarely interrupt plays unless the play involves all the animals to an end (Duguid & Mellis, 2020).

Organization of Animal Fights

The organization of animal fights like bullfighting indicates that animals know that they have a role to play in human entertainment (Cohen, 2018). For example, the bull owner engages it in training before the real fight, and the bull is expected to practice the skills learned. The ability to grasp skills and apply them is a clear demonstration that animals have a certain intellectual quotient level. If they did not have a brain, they could not get skills and use them when in the field for a fight. If a bull wins in a fight, its general appearance shows it is happy, and the bull's owner celebrates alongside it after the fight is over (Cohen, 2018). On the other hand, the bull that loses in a fight shows a sad face, and there are no celebrations. The losing bull prepares more to fight in the next round and make the owner happy with a win. These appearances and activities of fighting demonstrate that animals have a social feeling in them, and they can practice it when required to do so or at their pleasure. Whether they understand fully what they do not know, but there is a feeling that they have an insight into what they do and plan activities by themselves (Cohen, 2018).

It is claimed that animals have thoughts and ways to convey their thoughts (Pikas et al., 2018). Some of how animals convey their thoughts is by grunts, shrieks, and other vocalizations. Animals cannot communicate what they think by word of mouth, but they can make sounds. These sounds depend on the type of thought and the audience. For example, a donkey will produce a particular sound when the owner is around it and wants water or better feeding (Pikas et al., 2018). The donkey understands that it has to get better feed and water from the owner, and it trusts that the sounds it makes are a way of communication to the person within its reach. In many such cases, human beings seem to understand the animal language and providing the animal with what it requires only gives it happiness. The donkey will befriend the person who takes care of it and knows what it needs when necessary (Pikas et al., 2018).

Communication

Similarly, birds of the air make some sounds to make some communication (Pikas et al., 2018). For example, when a bird sees an enemy and communicates to the other birds, it makes a particular sound that the other birds understand. All the birds in that area understand the communication and flee the environment to avoid the enemy. The demonstration of communication and understanding of the message is when the birds flee from a place with an enemy to a safe place. These birds have some intellectual quotient and social understanding of themselves and their environments. The birds have thoughts and have specific means of communication (Pikas et al., 2018). If the communication is based on a good thing, the sound varies from when there is danger, and the birds understand and gang together. For example, if the communication is based on available food that a bird is calling their friends, the sound is not the same as when it is a warning of an impending enemy (Pikas et al., 2018). This form of communication demonstrates the understanding of animals and their communication, which they understand and appreciate.

Animals have meetings and gatherings at different times in their lives (Volk et al., 2020). The communication during these meetings is complex to understand, but it is presumed that when the animals meet, they make thorough deliberations on what to do at what time. For example, a meeting of hyenas to go hunting for food deliberates the time to hunt and split into groups to ensure they get what they need in the field. Hyenas are known for their nature to feed on dead bodies and bones, but they also hunt and kill other animals for their food (Volk et al., 2020). For example, if hyenas notice an antelope in their surrounding, they will plan to surround it and go after it to kill and eat. This is evidence that they meet and discuss what to do and how to do it. If they had no meetings, one hyena would go hunting alone, and possible will not kill the antelope. When they go as a group, they are sure they are likely to win (Volk et al., 2020).

Agreements

Antelopes go to feed in groups, and it seems they make agreements among themselves on where to feed today and tomorrow. The agreement is based on better pasture and the level of security in the feeding zone (Volk et al., 2020). They know they should not go to feed where lions live because getting killed is high. They also know where there are better pastures than other places, and they prioritize where there are good pastures (Volk et al., 2020). They feed in groups to protect one another in case of an attack by an enemy. The antelopes know that they are preyed on by their animals, and they agree during their meetings on which zones they should feed as groups and which they can be free even without groups. The feeding patterns show agreements made during these animals' meetings, which demonstrates their intellectual capacity to plan and execute plans that favor them and their security. The antelopes make sounds to signal their others in times of danger or attacks, and they understand their communication, which they follow to execute their plans (Volk et al., 2020).

Animals feel empathy for fellow animals in situations that an animal is suffering, but there is no way they can help (Panksepp, 2016). An example is when a ramp is dead in the bush, feeding along with other sheep. The remaining ones may be seen surrounding the dead one with sad faces and show empathy. They would wish to help their fellow, but there is no way they can help out. This show of empathy demonstrates that animals have feelings (Panksepp, 2016). A cow that has just given birth might be kept company by a bull, which protects it from an attack and guards the calf until a person takes care of the situation. The bull shows empathy for the cow, although there is little it can do to help out the situation rather than keep company and create a sense of protection (Panksepp, 2016). This sense of protection shows the male feel of superiority and security protection is also in animals and not in human beings alone. A person rescues the situation; the cows and bulls may follow the person if they carry the calf away to show empathy.

Conclusion

Animals have emotional feelings for each other. For example, animals mate without instructions from human beings (Panksepp, 2016). The act of mating may be deemed natural, but science argues that just like human beings, animals too have feelings for their opposite-sex friends. A dog will not mate with a cat unless under abnormal circumstances. This selection of mating counterparts shows that the animals have specific feelings for animals of the same species and not just any animal around them. Monkeys mate with monkeys and not chimpanzees. They know the respective partners, and they do not just move around looking for any animal to mate with no matter the situation (Panksepp, 2016). Animals, therefore, are presumed to have special knowledge and acknowledgment of their species and what a particular species means for them. The timing of mating is another demonstration that animals know the necessary time to mate. Animals will not mate with their pregnant counterparts, and the way they differentiate a pregnant one from one not pregnant is not yet clearly defined. Nevertheless, animals know their mating partners and times; thus, they use a certain level of knowledge to practice their emotional feelings and social lives (Panksepp, 2016).