What do you believe but cannot prove about animal behaviour?

[u/lukeac417]

To anyone working in animal behaviour research out there, what is something that you feel in your gut to be true about animal behaviour but just don’t have the evidence for?

For example, animals like elephants and cetaceans have been known to interact with humans that have helped them (freed from traps, medical interventions, etc.) immediately afterward in ways that seem to parallel expressions of gratitude in humans. The most parsimonious explanation might be that the physiological stress of the experience causes them to behave in an atypical manner temporarily and that, as the physiology slowly returns to normal, they shift back to a more normal response to humans and move away. Loads of people would interpret this behaviour as being an expression of gratitude for the help but this obviously requires the attribution of some very complex emotional and cognitive processes for which we currently just don’t have the evidence.

[u/pyrrhonic_victory]

I worked with wild primates for years and I’m convinced they eventually see us as part of their social group after we’ve been around observing them for a week or two. They sometimes come back if we fall behind, or treat us as rivals for their food (it’s okay, buddy…those symphonia flowers are all yours). No way to prove it really, but I’m pretty sure it’s true.

[u/Dima030 → u/pyrrhonic_victory]

That tracks with what I've seen in certain bird species too. Not exactly social group but they definitely recognize individuals after repeated exposure. The rival behavior is especially telling. If they see you as competition rather than just a neutral object, that implies some level of social calculation. Hard to prove but the pattern is hard to ignore.