A Deep Dive into Animal Grief: Insights from Orcas and Ants

In a thought-provoking examination of death across species, philosopher Susana Monsó highlights the unexpected ways animals, including orcas and ants, tackle loss, challenging our views on human uniqueness.

In the summer of 2018, off the coast of British Columbia, a captivating scene unfolded involving an orca named Tahlequah. After giving birth to a calf that tragically died after just half an hour, she clung to the body, displaying an act of mourning that lasted for over two weeks, often balancing her deceased calf on her nose as she swam. This profound display of grief went viral, resonating with many who have faced similar heartaches.

Susana Monsó, a philosopher of animal cognition at the National Distance Education University in Madrid, commented on the emotional depth of this orca mother's behavior. "The imagery of a mother holding onto her dead child for 17 days is something universally relatable," she remarked, evoking parallels with human experiences of loss.

However, Monsó also cautions against anthropomorphism—projecting human emotions onto animals—while stressing that many cognitive traits we believe to be exclusive to humans might indeed be present in other species. In her new book, “Playing Possum,” she argues that various animals possess an understanding, albeit rudimentary, of death.

In a recent conversation with The New York Times, Monsó delved deeper into her findings, emphasizing that by observing behaviors in nature, we can uncover an intricate spectrum of emotions displayed by species like orcas and ants, reshaping our understanding of grief across the animal kingdom. Her insights reveal a complex interplay between life, loss, and the shared experiences that bind us as sentient beings.