10 Human Attributes

Found in Animals
As humans, we are not the fastest or the strongest animal. Even our
senses are outmatched by many creatures. Birds see better than us,
dogs smell better, and many animals have senses that we do not have
at all. Sharks feel magnetic fields, turtles sense electricity, and bees
see ultra-violet radiation. Elephants can sense a lack of salt in their
bodies in much the same way that we feel thirsty. The humble tortoise
can outlive us by a hundred years or more. Basic medicine is used by
woolly spider monkeys who eat certain plants for birth control and
parrots who eat specific clays to cure poison. So what makes us
special? Here we look at ten human attributes of which we are rightly
proud, and briefly consider which animals share our abilities. Perhaps
what makes us special is not any single factor, but the combination of
all of these? Or perhaps it is our potential rather than what we already
are?
Culture encompasses all behaviors and activities which are not
genetically driven and which are found throughout a local population.
The arts and humanities, religions, shared attitudes and practices are
all facets of culture. The wonderfully wide variety of human cultures
around the world is of great interest in itself; however, not all culture is
human. For an activity to be deemed cultural, it must not be directly
caused by genetics, it must be passed from one individual to another
throughout a population, it must be remembered and not forgotten
instantly after it has occurred, and it must be passed down through
generations. Many primates have their own cultures and traditions,
such as the rain dances some chimpanzee groups perform at the
beginning of storms. In 1963, a single Japanese macaque monkey
discovered the comfort of bathing in a natural hot spring, and since
then the practice has spread completely throughout the troop and is
still observed today.
Humans experience a wide spectrum of emotions. From anger to grief
to frustration to euphoria, we live our lives moving from one emotion
to the next. Anyone who has kept a large pet, such as a dog or a cat,
will be aware that these creatures experience fear, desire, panic,
affection, embarrassment, and many other feelings. Dolphin mothers

whose infants have died display all the trappings of grief, and bored
octopuses will eventually begin to exhibit depression. Curiosity can be
seen in reptiles and jealousy of parental attention between siblings is
seen in great apes. Wild apes will adopt other orphaned apes, and
captive apes will take pets for interest. Altruism has been shown by
gorillas in two unrelated situations where, both times, a young child
fell into their zoo enclosure. Each time, a gorilla patted and soothed
the child and helped return him to the human zoo keepers.
Chimpanzees similarly comfort each other after attacks. Emotions are
far from an exclusively human experience.
Language is used to communicate needs, wants, and ideas. Different
groups have developed their own languages, and languages change
and evolve over time. Humans use a wide range of languages, not all
verbal. The Bubi people in Equatorial Guinea speak largely with hand
gestures, similar to Sign Languages spoken by deaf communities. On
La Gomera of the Canary Islands, whistled language is used. Certain
animals use language too. Primates, whales, birds, and squid have
been shown to use distinct words to identify objects, actions, and
individual names, and chimpanzees even use syntax and grammar. As
a case study, Washoe the chimpanzee was raised as a deaf human
child. She learnt over 350 American Sign Language words and could
combine them to form new words and sentences. In the wild,
chimpanzees normally only use about 70 signs. Washoe often signed
conversations with her toy dolls. One touching example, showing that
she could associate abstract ideas like emotion to novel situations,
was when her human instructor explained a long absence by signing
my baby died. Washoe looked down for a while, then signed cry
and touched her cheek.
Humour is a staple of life for many people. Often difficult to define,
there are many strains of humor, providing amusement and often
resulting in laughter. The ridiculous, the unexpected, or the juxtaposed
can elicit such a feeling. Chimpanzees, like humans, are no stranger to
laughter. They often tickle each other and give unmistakable laughs as
a result. However, although humor often provokes laughter, laughter
does not imply humor. Even rats have been shown to be able to laugh.
Nevertheless, chimpanzees too can find situations humorous. Several
great apes in captivity have been observed to laugh at situations
removed from themselves such as seeing a clumsy fellow ape
embarrass itself.

One of the defining characteristics of humans is the ability to use

tools. We have created great cities, refined farming, secured the
passing on of cultural knowledge through writing, and even gone to
the moon. For many years, humans were defined as the only toolusing animal. We now know this is not the case. All great apes, crows
and ravens, dolphins, elephants, and even octopuses are verified tool
users. Often this tool use is cultural, that is, the tools used and their
manner of use will vary from one population to the next within a
species. Chimpanzees use stones as hammers and anvils and fashion
spears for hunting, gorillas will use walking sticks, ravens make their
own toys, gulls will use bait to fish with, dolphins use shells to catch
fish in and eat from, octopuses will use coconut shells as a shelter,
and elephants make water vessels to drink from.
Humans are able to mentally capture their sensory information at a
particular time and store it away for later use. That is, humans can
remember things. We use memories to determine the best course of
action in situations we have encountered before, such as
remembering which foods taste nicest and thus picking the best one
when given a choice. Animals, too, have memories, as any pet owner
will tell you. Domesticated creatures can be taught to remember
commands, and even goldfish have been shown to have memories
lasting months. Chimpanzees remember images and numbers better
than university students, and crows remember shapes better than
adult humans also. Some jays and squirrels have superb spatial
memories, allowing them to remember months later where they
buried thousands of seeds across areas of dozens of square
kilometers. Cats have short-term memories at least ten times longer
than those of humans. Interestingly, pigeons seem to base
superstitions on their memories. If a pigeon is doing something like
turning around when it is given food two or three times, it will
remember what it was doing and begin to spin obsessively in the
hopes of obtaining more food.
A jellyfish, most will agree, is not strongly aware of itself as a
definitively separate being. It has no thoughts, if any, beyond its basic
drives. Self-awareness was considered a human domain for many
years, but we now know better. One simple illustrative test is the
mirror test: seeing if an animal can recognize itself in a mirror. A selfaware animal will realize that the movements of its reflection match
its own, and deduce that the reflection is an image of itself. The
animal often has a mark on its face, and if it realizes that the reflection
is it itself, it will reach towards its face to feel or remove the mark.

Human children do not pass this test until the age of 18 months.
Animals which pass this self-awareness test, and a variety of other
such tests, are all great apes, some gibbons, elephants, magpies, and
some whales.
Humans are homo sapiens, the wise man. We can think and reason to
our great advantage. There are, of course, many different kinds of
intelligence and ways of using them. There exist many definitions of
intelligence, but generally it is thought to be the ability to think,
reason, plan, assess, and learn. However, humans are not the only
animals with intellect, nor are they the best in all its categories.
Pigeons easily outdo humans with both visual searching and geometric
recognition. Ants estimate huge numbers very accurately to determine
the numbers of enemy ants from past encounters, and elephants use
arithmetic. Crows show great causal reasoning; they can observe a
new and complicated mechanism and mentally deduce how to deal
with it correctly rather than relying on the more time-consuming trial
and error. They can unlock doors and find hidden objects based on a
single period of observation, outperforming many humans.
Farming is the basis of modern human civilization. Believed to have
been begun nearly ten thousand years ago, it allowed humans to
settle in one place rather than live nomadically as they followed herds
of animals for food. This in turn allowed them more time in which they
could develop writing, mathematics, the wheel, farming implements,
and other necessities of farming on a large scale. This spread around
the world rapidly. However, ants had already been farming for millions
of years. They capture, herd, raise, and care for the health of groups
of caterpillars kept in a special chamber of their nests so that they
may use their sugary excretions as a food source, much like we use
cows. Termites cultivate fungi to eat which are so specialized they
grow nowhere else on Earth.
If nothing else, humans are fantastic builders. The cities, roads, and
factories that adorn our planet are a testament to that fact. What
other animal could build skyscrapers, towering hundreds of metros
above them? Or highways and roads stretching for thousands of
kilometers? Some animals build too. Certain birds and apes build
sophisticated nests, rabbits dig warrens to live in, and ants will even
prune and cultivate trees to grow in a way which suits them as a
home. The greatest builders, however, are Nigerian termites. They
build fantastically huge mounds with internal ventilation, heating, and

cooling systems through specially designed tunnels so that the

termites living inside enjoy a pleasant climate at all times. They even
have self-contained nurseries, gardens, cellars, chimneys,
expressways, and sanitation systems. A termite is less than half a
centimeter long yet its mound is 4m tall. For comparison, that is like a
group of humans making a building over 1.5km tall.

Tonothing
KATE
As
Culture
Language
Humour
One
A
Humans
Farming
If
jellyfish,
clarify,
humans,
of
MULCAHY
the
encompasses
is
experience
are
abstract
else,
is
the
a
most
defining
we
used
staple
able
homo
basis
humans
are
FEBRUARY
will
to
to
thinking
sapiens,
of
not
characteristics
mentally
agree,
of
a
communicate
life
all
wide
modern
the
are
behaviors
for
24,
is
fastest
is
spectrum
the
fantastic
many
capture
not
not
2012
human
wise
strongly
random
or
needs,
of
people.
and
man.
builders.
the
humans
of
their
civilization.
activities
emotions.
strongest
and
aware
wants,
We
sensory
Often
can
is
The
incoherent
the
of
difficult
which
and
think
Believed
From
cities,
animal.
itself
information
ability
ideas.
are
and
anger
as
roads,
toto
Even
not
a
touse
to
at
our
genetically
grief
Different
define,
tools.
a
definitively
reason
have
and
thought.
particular
senses
factories
to
been
We
to
there
frustration
It
groups
have
our
means
begun
are
driven
separate
time
are
that
great
outmatched
created
have
and
many
nearly
adorn
taking
and
to
advantage.
being.
euphoria,
store
developed
which
strains
great
our
ten
a concrete
itIt
by
planet
thousand
away
are
cities,
has
of
many
we
There
found
their
humor,
no
for
live
are
refined
idea,
thoughts,
creatures.
are,
later
own
years
our
a
throughout
providing
testament
such
of
lives
languages,
farming,
use.
ago,
course,
as
ifBirds
moving
That
any,
it
an
amusement
aallowed
to
secured
many
local
apple,
see
is,
beyond
that
and
from
humans
better
fact.
and
the
one
its
Culture
Emotions
Language
Humour
Tool
Memory
Self-Awareness
Intelligence
Farming
Building
Abstract
Use
and
logical
thinking

10
+
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

thinking
than
population.
emotion
languages
and
passing
can
basic
different
humans
What
remember
often
us,
drives.
other
on
to
dogs
about
to
kinds
resulting
change
settle
of
the
animal
The
Self-awareness
cultural
smell
of
an
things.
next.
arts
in
intelligence
attribute
and
could
in
one
better,
and
Anyone
laughter.
knowledge
We
evolve
place
humanities,
build
use
and
ofwas
who
and
it
rather
over
memories
skyscrapers,
The
many
as
considered
through
has
ways
atime.
ridiculous,
higher
than
religions,
animals
kept
ofto
Humans
writing,
live
using
adetermine
concept
towering
a
large
nomadically
have
the
human
shared
them.
and
use
unexpected,
pet,
senses
such
hundreds
domain
a
even
attitudes
the
There
such
wide
as
best
as
that
gone
as
exist
for
of
aor
wethe
and
dog
range
the
to
course
many
they
metros
deliciousness,
do
juxtaposed
or
practices
followed
years,
definitions
of
moon.
not
aof
above
cat,
languages,
action
have
but
will
For
herds
are
them?
which
can
at
in
we
be
many
of
all
all.
situations
elicit
intelligence,
of
aware
now
not
facets
might
Or
Sharks
animals
years,
highways
all
such
know
that
verbal.
then
ofwe
feel
humans
culture.
abetter.
for
these
feeling.
be
but
have
magnetic
and
food.
The
applied
generally
creatures
One
The
encountered
roads
were
Bubi
This
Chimpanzees,
wonderfully
simple
to
fields,
defined
people
stretching
inmany
itturn
experience
is illustrative
turtles
thought
before,
in
allowed
as
concrete
Equatorial
wide
like
the
forsense
to
only
such
fear,
them
test
be
objects.
electricity,
variety
desire,
Guinea
humans,
tool-using
as
is
the
more
thousands
the
remembering
ability
time
mirror
panic,
of
speak
Logical
are
human
animal.
to
in
of
and
test:
no
think,
which
kilometers?
affection,
largely
bees
thinking
stranger
which
cultures
seeing
We
reason,
they
see
with
now
foods
embarrassment,
is
could
ultra-violet
if
to
Some
around
hand
know
the
an
plan,
laughter.
taste
animal
cornerstone
develop
animals
gestures,
this
assess,
the
nicest
radiation.
is
They
can
world
not
writing,
build
and
recognize
and
similar
often
the
of
islearn.
many
too.
this.
thus
of
Elephants
case.
mathematics,
tickle
great
toCertain
This
picking
other
However,
Sign
itself
Alleach
interest
is
great
can
in
feelings.
birds
the
a
other
the
in
sense
itself;
Dolphin
Languages
apes,
best
mirror.
humans
wheel,
and
naturally
give
apes
one
crows
however,
afarming
Alack
mothers
are
self-aware
unmistakable
when
difficult
build
spoken
and
not
of sophisticated
given
salt
implements,
not
the
ravens,
whose
toby
in
all
animal
measure
only
atheir
deaf
culture
choice.
laughs
infants
dolphins,
animals
communities.
will
bodies
and
nests,
inis
as
Animals,
realize
have
non-humans,
human.
other
a
with
elephants,
in
result.
rabbits
much
died
intellect,
that
necessities
too,
For
On
display
However,
the
dig
an
have
La
and
but
movements
warrens
same
nor
activity
Gomera
thus
all
even
memories,
ofare
although
the
farming
way
far
they
octopuses
to
of
trappings
that
no
live
be
the
ofthe
as
on
its
in,
wea
animal
feel
deemed
of
Canary
humor
are
any
reflection
best
large
and
grief,
verified
pet
thirsty.
ants
in
scale.
often
has
all
Islands,
owner
and
cultural,
will
match
its
been
The
tool
This
bored
provokes
even
categories.
will
whistled
humble
users.
spread
its
able
itprune
tell
octopuses
must
own,
to
laughter,
you.
Often
around
tortoise
perform
language
Pigeons
not
and
Domesticated
be
this
cultivate
deduce
will
the
laughter
directly
can
nearly
easily
tool
eventually
isworld
outlive
used.
that
use
trees
outdo
as
caused
does
rapidly.
is
creatures
the
well
Certain
us
cultural,
to
begin
humans
reflection
not
by
grow
as
byHowever,
aimply
humans
animals
genetics,
to
hundred
can
in
that
exhibit
with
ais
be
humor.
way
is,
an
in
use
taught
both
ants
the
it
years
must
depression.
language
Even
tools
to
image
visual
had
which
purely
remember
already
used
rats
be
or
searching
suits
of
abstract
passed
more.
itself.
too.
have
and
them
Curiosity
been
commands,
Primates,
Basic
their
The
been
terms.
from
and
as
farming
animal
a
manner
medicine
geometric
shown
can
one
home.
Logical
whales,
be
and
individual
for
often
to
of
seen
The
millions
even
and
be
is
use
recognition.
birds,
has
used
greatest
able
in
reasoned
will
goldfish
to
reptiles
aof
by
and
mark
to
another
vary
years.
laugh.
woolly
builders,
squid
have
Ants
from
on
thinking
and
They
throughout
its
Nevertheless,
spider
have
jealousy
estimate
one
been
face,
however,
capture,
with
population
been
monkeys
shown
and
of
huge
a ifare
to
it
abstract
who
population,
parental
shown
chimpanzees
to
have
realizes
numbers
herd,
Nigerian
the
eat
memories
raise,
next
tothat
certain
ideas
attention
termites.
very
use
within
it
and
the
too
must
distinct
accurately
are
lasting
plants
care
reflection
can
aThey
the
between
be
species.
for
words
find
great
remembered
for
months.
build
the
to
situations
birth
issiblings
determine
to
achievement
health
Chimpanzees
itfantastically
identify
itself,
control
Chimpanzees
of
is
and
humorous.
itgroups
seen
the
objects,
will
and
not
of
huge
use
numbers
reach
parrots
in
forgotten
humanity,
of
great
remember
stones
actions,
Several
caterpillars
mounds
towards
who
apes.
ofas
instantly
enemy
as
great
and
eat
with
images
its
Wild
we
kept
face
far
specific
after
individual
apes
hammers
and
to
ants
in
internal
surpass
a
feel
special
numbers
from
it
will
in
or
has
captivity
clays
ventilation,
other
adopt
remove
and
past
names,
occurred,
chamber
better
to
animals
anvils
encounters,
other
cure
have
the
and
heating,
than
and
of
and
poison.
orphaned
mark.
been
chimpanzees
thanks
their
fashion
university
it and
must
Human
observed
and
nests
So
toapes,
elephants
what
the
spears
cooling
beso
children
students,
even
frontal
passed
and
makes
that
to for
laugh
systems
use
captive
use
they
lobes
hunting,
down
do
us
syntax
and
arithmetic.
at
not
may
special?
situations
of
through
apes
through
crows
pass
our
gorillas
use
and
will
brains,
Here
this
their
Crows
take
will
test
we
which
look
generations.
pets
grammar.
removed
use
remember
until
show
sugary
specially
walking
at
for
the
great
relative
ten
excretions
interest.
age
designed
from
As
shapes
human
causal
sticks,
Many
of
ato
themselves
case
18
the
Altruism
as
reasoning;
better
attributes
months.
tunnels
primates
ravens
study,
rest
a food
than
of
has
make
such
so
Washoe
Animals
our
source,
have
of
they
that
been
adult
which
brains
as
their
their
the
can
seeing
the
shown
much
humans
which
own
we
termites
are
observe
own
chimpanzee
are
like
athe
pass
toys,
by
clumsy
cultures
also.
rightly
gorillas
we
largest
living
athis
gulls
new
use
Some
fellow
selfwas
proud,
and
inside
will
cows.
in
of
and
two
jays
any
raised
use
ape
and
enjoy
and
bait
as
briefly
traditions,
unrelated
embarrass
to
squirrels
awareness
complicated
Termites
a
living
deaf
pleasant
fishspecies.
with,
human
consider
cultivate
have
situations
such
climate
itself.
test,
dolphins
mechanism
child.
superb
Perhaps
which
as
and
fungi
the
atShe
where,
ause
all
spatial
animals
variety
rain
what
to
times.
learnt
and
shells
eat
dances
both
truly
mentally
memories,
of
which
share
over
They
to
other
times,
makes
catch
some
350
are
even
our
such
deduce
afish
allowing
so
American
abilities.
chimpanzee
us
young
have
specialized
tests,
human
in how
and
self-contained
child
them
Perhaps
are
Sign
to
eat
is groups
our
fell
all
deal
to
they
from,
Language
great
into
ability
what
with
grow
it
to think
makes
perform
their
words
octopuses
remember
apes,
correctly
nowhere
nurseries,
zoo
some
and
us
rationally,
at
else
rather
enclosure.
special
gardens,
will
could
months
the
gibbons,
on
use
beginning
than
combine
Earth.
iscoconut
to
later
cellars,
not
Each
elephants,
relying
question
any
where
of
time,
them
shells
chimneys,
single
storms.
onour
they
athe
to
magpies,
gorilla
as
factor,
form
own
more
buried
In
a expressways,
shelter,
1963,
assertions
new
patted
time-consuming
but
and
thousands
words
athe
some
and
single
and
combination
and
elephants
and
soothed
and
whales.
Japanese
of
consider
seeds
trial
the
of
all oferror.
macaque
child
sentences.
make
across
and
sanitation
others,
and
these?
water
areas
and
helped
monkey
They
systems.
In
to
vessels
Or
of
the
always
dozens
perhaps
can
return
wild,
discovered
unlock
A
totermite
strive
drink
chimpanzees
of
him
it square
isdoors
to
for
our
from.
the
isthe
what
less
potential
kilometers.
and
comfort
human
than
normally
is
find
reasoned
half
rather
hidden
of
zoo
bathing
Cats
only
akeepers.
centimeter
than
and
objects
have
use
in
logical
what
about
ashortnatural
based
we
long
and
70
true,
already
hot
Chimpanzees
signs.
term
on
yet
aits
spring,
single
no
memories
Washoe
mound
are?
matter
and
period
similarly
is
often
since
what
at
4m
of
least
tall.
signed
observation,
that
then
comfort
ten
For
truth
the
conversations
times
comparison,
practice
each
may
outperforming
longer
be.
other
has
than
that
with
after
spread
is
those
her
attacks.
like
many
completely
toy
of
a group
humans.
dolls.
humans.
Emotions
of
One
throughout
are
touching
Interestingly,
humans
far from
making
example,
the
an
pigeons
exclusively
troop
a building
showing
and
seem
isover
human
that
still
to base
1.5km
observed
she
experience.
superstitions
could
tall.today.
associate
on their
abstract
memories.
ideas
like emotion
If a pigeon
to novel
is doing
situations,
something
waslike
when
turning
her human
around
instructor
when
it is given
explained
foodatwo
long
orabsence
three times,
by signing
it will remember
my baby died.
what it
was doing
Washoe
looked
and begin
down to
forspin
a while,
obsessively
then signed
in thecry
hopes
and
of touched
obtaining
her cheek.
more
food.