Anthropromorphizing? Yes or no?

[Platapus]

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. One has to be careful not to allow anthropomorphism to influence the interpretation of animal behaviour.

Especially in the following story from https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/watch-whale-allegedly-protect-diver-nearby-shark/


A whale’s peculiar behavior towards a snorkeler earlier this week offered protection from a tiger shark that was reportedly swimming nearby.
63-year-old biologist Nan Hauser was observing a pair of humpback whales off the coast of Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands when one of the massive mammals started exhibiting some peculiar behavior.


For ten minutes, the whale kept persistently nudging Hauser along with its nose and attempting to tuck her under its pectoral fins. At one point, the creature even pushed the diver onto its head and out of the water.

(https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/baby-deer-refused-to-leave-side-of-man-who-rescued-it-watch/)
Hauser, who has been studying and swimming with whales for the last 28 years, says that she has never experienced such strange interactions.
The biologist also says that if the whale kept approaching her, she was afraid that its speed and weight would break her bones and rupture her organs. Then, she spotted the 15-foot tiger shark that was swimming nearby.


Though the shark is not shown in Hauser’s video, local fishermen and divers have often seen the same shark swimming in the area. Hauser herself thought that the shark was just another whale until she saw its tale moving from side to side, rather than up and down.

(https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/hummingbird-refuses-leave-dog-man-saved-life/)
Hauser says that the encounter could be evidence that whales are altruistic animals that feel compelled to save smaller creatures.


“I wasn’t sure what the whale was up to when he approached me, and it didn’t stop pushing me around for over 10 minutes. It seemed like hours. I was a bit bruised up,” Hauser told the Independent (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/humpback-whale-diver-video-tiger-shark-protect-push-fin-muri-beach-cook-islands-a8148346.html).


“There is a published scientific paper about humpbacks protecting other species of animals, by Robert Pitman. For instance, they hide seals under their pectoral fins to protect them from killer whales. They truly display altruism – sometimes at the risk of losing their own lives,” she says.


https://youtu.be/9YZYQT8bvS8

Was this whale trying to protect the diver from the perceived threat of the shark or was this an unrelated set of actions?

:hmmm:

[Rockstar]

If whales behave similarly protecting their young or injured from a perceived danger. Then its possible the whale may have attempted to herd the diver away from a threat.

But I would have to ask the whale to be sure :)

[Eichhörnchen]

I saw another angle on anthropomorphizing things a couple of days ago on Facebook: Moira showed me some video of the latest development in "robo-dogs", which are for carrying equipment and other tasks in the military.

The latest has a very fluid and lifelike motion to it and in the clip a soldier demonstrates its tremendous resilience and stability by trying to kick it over. It staggers sideways before righting itself, and in doing so moves exactly the way a four-legged animal would.

After the clip appeared there followed an idiot crapstorm of protest at this vile human for kicking this "poor" thing. But of course he might as well have been kicking a lawnmower.

[Commander Wallace]

I think animals are much smarter than people give them credit for.


In this case, I think the whale was protecting Nan Hauser. Protective behavior from aquatic mammals like whales and dolphins towards humans is well documented. In a number of cases, dolphins and whales will swim close to boats and ships and lift their head and eyes above the water to " spy " on the ship and to extend friendly greetings.



http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/dolphins-save-swimmers-from-shark-1.513716

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2611777/Dolphins-scare-shark-British-swimmers-8-hour-challenge.html

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2004/nov/24/internationalnews


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3pXhU5vzas


This may well just be a typical day at the office for these social creatures.

[Skybird]

In recent years, the past 20 years or so, researchers sometimes radically altered earleir conclusions on animal'S intelligence and ability to experience a complex emotional life, including humour and sadness. The scinectific assessment of bird inteligence and bird brain'S structure is currently being almost rewritten. Several big mammals have been shown to show signficant indications of being able to feel sad for the loss of family members, both individually and collectively.

I am a born sceptic. But that only means to me that I try to not take something as granted prematurely, not to forget the value of emprical approaches and scientific methodology - and always remain to be open at all directions, or almost all.

The most honest answer we cna give to the whale'S behaqvour is that we do not kn ow what went thorhg its mind when behaving like it did. And that means we cannot rule out that it acted due to symopathy or altruistic motives. Could also be a reflex triggered by a key signmal issued by the small creature that was the diver with a potential threat nearby.

Sometimes I wonder about scientists, however. They see a swarm of dolphins jumping and dancing without any direciton or goal - and it doe snot come to their mind that thy maqybe simply enjoy life and express their joy of bein able to do what they are doing.

Is man really assuming that he is the only creatiure capable of having an empotional life, feeling joy, humour, sadness, loss, fear, expectation, sympathy, love?

Higher emotions need corresponding brains tructure to form and to become aware of them, its not as if empotions are in the heart. They are in the brain, like thoguhts and thi8nling, percpeiton and everything else. If a brain is complex enough to support the idea that there could be emotions, then why the hell trying to assume so hardly that nevertheless there are none?

Antropomorphising it would be to assume that there are emoptions comparable to that of a human where there are no brain structures complex enough to create them. From nothing comes nothing. A shown behaviour then can as well be the result of just reflexes that got genetically inherited.

Animals can have individual characters, sentiments, daily moods. Who claims the opposite has never had a dog or cat, nener dealt with horses, and never has seen ravens playing in the snow or enjoying to make somersaults in midair.

Sometimes the pleasure a creatures feels is so obvious that it rerally jumps into your eyes - if only you do not try hard to keep them closed tight. And sometimes the sadness is as obvious as well. It can catch even a whole group of animals, far beyond the imminent core family structure. Some apes, elephants, dolphins on my mind.

Its ironic a bit. We listen deep into space to learn about alien intelligence and life - while it is already here, right beside us.

[mapuc]

There's a very good reason to why these charities, like Red Cross or similar always show pictures of children in need or despair

´cause they know that our mind is weak when it comes to people who are weak and other things

Which gives, we presume from the action that this whale toke, was to protect this swimmer
This is what we think in our mind-I did at first, then I thought, is this true ? What if this action was due to something else

I myself still believe it's was to protect this swimmer, it could also be something else.

Markus