Grief was once widely regarded as an experience exclusive to humans. Studies of coyotes, cockatoos and other animals are prompting some scientists to reconsider that assumption, by examining how creatures respond when close bonds are broken.
At Utah State University, neuroscientist Sara Freeman is studying the relationships formed by coyote pairs and what happens after one partner dies. Although coyotes are often portrayed as solitary and troublesome, they can form lifelong partnerships, grooming one another, sharing food and raising pups together.
“Basically, until death do us part,” Freeman said, describing the strength of those bonds.
In her laboratory, Freeman referred to brain tissue from a female coyote that had outlived her mate as belonging to a “widowed brain.” The samples had been stored in an ultracold freezer before a student sliced the frozen tissue into thin sections and placed them on glass slides.
The researchers planned to examine the samples for neurological signs of what Freeman called “a grief state.” Their work focuses on whether the changes associated with loss can be detected in animals, and on how closely those responses may resemble grief in humans.
Sources: The New York Times Science.