Death is an unfortunate part of life. No matter who you are or what species, we all experience it. However, some of us have a better understanding of it than others. While we like to assume that humans know more about every topic than any other animal species, it does not mean that they are entirely ignorant. In fact, in certain situations, animals seem to have much better senses than we do. Now, new anecdotal evidence suggests that bison may understand death. Find out what happened to make researchers believe this.
Do Bison Understand Death? Signs Are Pointing To Yes
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Bison in northern Yellowstone have researchers scratching their brows. When they stumbled upon a carcass, the animals seemed to hold a vigil around the deceased creature. Cowboy State Daily reported on the moment. They shared that photographer Richard Sprately captured the moment while he was enjoying an afternoon in Yellowstone National Park. While he was enjoying his stroll, he noticed a herd of bison nearby.
However, they began acting strangely when they noticed a nearby elk carcass. When speaking with Cowboy State Daily, he said, "That carcass had been there for a few days, fed on by numerous different things." He continued, "The bison meandered by, going in a specific direction, like they were headed somewhere." Sprately admits that he believes it was curiosity that first drew the bison to the carcass.
However, it is not what kept them there. The photographer shared that the bison began to circle the carcass, keeping their tails erect. He claimed they did this for at least 20 minutes, and the longer they circled, the more their demeanor changed. Could it be that these bison understand that a death has happened? Sprately said there was no other way to describe it other than "paying homage to this fallen critter." He stated that "they seemed to be in mourning for a fellow animal."
Despite this interesting behavior, Cowboy State Daily shares that "There is no scientific evidence suggesting bison understand the concept of death or have specific mourning rituals." However, events like this one have now got researchers questioning.
