Introduction and selection page: Animal Sentience Stories
Although not considered a desirable characteristic in humans if we can show that animals feel jealous this helps to establish the fact that animals like us are sentient.
Dogs are intensely jealous creatures.
When I was born my mother's dog became jealous. There was no other way to describe his behaviour. He would try and push me to the floor if I was left within his reach. Sadly his jealousy become so intense that my mother had to find a new home for him. Jealousy is very common in dogs who are so very loyal to their owners and they often feel keen resentment if they think that for some reason they have been relegated to second place in their owner's affections.
Jealousy it would seem is a common emotion among many other non human animals as it is among humans.
A young orang, made jealous by her keeper attending to another monkey
A young orang, made jealous by her keeper attending to another monkey, slightly uncovered her teeth, and, uttering a peevish noise like tish-shist, turned her back on him. Both orangs and chimpanzees, when a little more angered, protrude their lips greatly, and make a harsh barking noise. A young female chimpanzee, in a violent passion, presented a curious resemblance to a child in the same state. She screamed loudly with widely open mouth, the lips being retracted so that the teeth were fully exposed. She threw her arms wildly about, sometimes clasping them over her head. She rolled on the ground, sometimes on her back, sometimes on her belly, and bit everything within reach. A young gibbon (Hylobates syndactylus) in a passion has been described16 as behaving in almost exactly the same manner.
Charles Darwin Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals Chapter Five Special Expressions of Animals
Darwin recognised that animals are capable of complex emotions such as jealousy.
In his book the Descent of Man Darwin refers to jealousy as an emotion that animals have in common with man.
It has, I think, now been shewn that man and the higher animals, especially the Primates, have some few instincts in common. All have the same senses, intuitions, and sensations,—similar passions, affections, and emotions, even the more complex ones, such as jealousy, suspicion, emulation, gratitude, and magnanimity; they practise deceit and are revengeful; they are sometimes susceptible to ridicule, and even have a sense of humour; they feel wonder and curiosity; they possess the same faculties of imitation, attention, deliberation, choice, memory, imagination, the association of ideas, and reason, though in very different degrees.
In the passage below Darwin referring to the origin of language as arising from the "voices of other animals" again refers to jealousy as an emotion that is displayed by animals.
With respect to the origin of articulate language, after having read on the one side the highly interesting works of Mr. Hensleigh Wedgwood, the Rev. F. Farrar, and Prof. Schleicher (55. 'On the Origin of Language,' by H. Wedgwood, 1866. 'Chapters on Language,' by the Rev. F.W. Farrar, 1865. These works are most interesting. See also 'De la Phys. et de Parole,' par Albert Lemoine, 1865, p. 190. The work on this subject, by the late Prof. Aug. Schleicher, has been translated by Dr. Bikkers into English, under the title of 'Darwinism tested by the Science of Language,' 1869.), and the celebrated lectures of Prof. Max Muller on the other side, I cannot doubt that language owes its origin to the imitation and modification of various natural sounds, the voices of other animals, and man's own instinctive cries, aided by signs and gestures. When we treat of sexual selection we shall see that primeval man, or rather some early progenitor of man, probably first used his voice in producing true musical cadences, that is in singing, as do some of the gibbon-apes at the present day; and we may conclude from a widely-spread analogy, that this power would have been especially exerted during the courtship of the sexes,—would have expressed various emotions, such as love, jealousy, triumph,—and would have served as a challenge to rivals. It is, therefore, probable that the imitation of musical cries by articulate sounds may have given rise to words expressive of various complex emotions.
With respect to the migratory locusts of Russia, ... an interesting case of selection by the female of a male. The males of this species (Pachytylus migratorius) whilst coupled with the female stridulate from anger or jealousy, if approached by other males.
Darwin mentions Jealousy amongst other emotions in the section Mental Qualities of Birds, and Their Taste for the Beautiful. In this extract Darwin says that bird catchers exploited what they considered to be rivalry, which may well arise from the emotion of jealously, between birds.
With birds the voice serves to express various emotions, such as distress, fear, anger, triumph, or mere happiness. It is apparently sometimes used to excite terror, as in the case of the hissing noise made by some nestling-birds. Audubon (25. 'Ornithological Biography,' vol. v. p. 601.), relates that a night-heron (Ardea nycticorax, Linn.), which he kept tame, used to hide itself when a cat approached, and then "suddenly start up uttering one of the most frightful cries, apparently enjoying the cat's alarm and flight." The common domestic cock clucks to the hen, and the hen to her chickens, when a dainty morsel is found. The hen, when she has laid an egg, "repeats the same note very often, and concludes with the sixth above, which she holds for a longer time" (26. The Hon. Daines Barrington, 'Philosophical Transactions,' 1773, p. 252.); and thus she expresses her joy. Some social birds apparently call to each other for aid; and as they flit from tree to tree, the flock is kept together by chirp answering chirp. During the nocturnal migrations of geese and other water-fowl, sonorous clangs from the van may be heard in the darkness overhead, answered by clangs in the rear. Certain cries serve as danger signals, which, as the sportsman knows to his cost, are understood by the same species and by others. The domestic cock crows, and the humming-bird chirps, in triumph over a defeated rival. The true song, however, of most birds and various strange cries are chiefly uttered during the breeding- season, and serve as a charm, or merely as a call-note, to the other sex.
Naturalists are much divided with respect to the object of the singing of birds. Few more careful observers ever lived than Montagu, and he maintained that the "males of song-birds and of many others do not in general search for the female, but, on the contrary, their business in the spring is to perch on some conspicuous spot, breathing out their full and armorous notes, which, by instinct, the female knows, and repairs to the spot to choose her mate." (27. 'Ornithological Dictionary,' 1833, p. 475.) Mr. Jenner Weir informs me that this is certainly the case with the nightingale. Bechstein, who kept birds during his whole life, asserts, "that the female canary always chooses the best singer, and that in a state of nature the female finch selects that male out of a hundred whose notes please her most." (28. 'Naturgeschichte der Stubenvogel,' 1840, s. 4. Mr. Harrison Weir likewise writes to me:—"I am informed that the best singing males generally get a mate first, when they are bred in the same room.") There can be no doubt that birds closely attend to each other's song. Mr. Weir has told me of the case of a bullfinch which had been taught to pipe a German waltz, and who was so good a performer that he cost ten guineas; when this bird was first introduced into a room where other birds were kept and he began to sing, all the others, consisting of about twenty linnets and canaries, ranged themselves on the nearest side of their cages, and listened with the greatest interest to the new performer. Many naturalists believe that the singing of birds is almost exclusively "the effect of rivalry and emulation," and not for the sake of charming their mates. This was the opinion of Daines Barrington and White of Selborne, who both especially attended to this subject. (29. 'Philosophical Transactions,' 1773, p. 263. White's 'Natural History of Selborne,' 1825, vol. i. p. 246.) Barrington, however, admits that "superiority in song gives to birds an amazing ascendancy over others, as is well known to bird- catchers."
It is certain that there is an intense degree of rivalry between the males in their singing. Bird-fanciers match their birds to see which will sing longest; and I was told by Mr. Yarrell that a first-rate bird will sometimes sing till he drops down almost dead, or according to Bechstein (30. 'Naturgesch. der Stubenvogel,' 1840, s. 252.), quite dead from rupturing a vessel in the lungs. Whatever the cause may be, male birds, as I hear from Mr. Weir, often die suddenly during the season of song. That the habit of singing is sometimes quite independent of love is clear, for a sterile, hybrid canary-bird has been described (31. Mr. Bold, 'Zoologist,' 1843-44, p. 659.) as singing whilst viewing itself in a mirror, and then dashing at its own image; it likewise attacked with fury a female canary, when put into the same cage. The jealousy excited by the act of singing is constantly taken advantage of by bird-catchers; a male, in good song, is hidden and protected, whilst a stuffed bird, surrounded by limed twigs, is exposed to view. In this manner, as Mr. Weir informs me, a man has in the course of a single day caught fifty, and in one instance, seventy, male chaffinches. The power and inclination to sing differ so greatly with birds that although the price of an ordinary male chaffinch is only sixpence, Mr. Weir saw one bird for which the bird-catcher asked three pounds; the test of a really good singer being that it will continue to sing whilst the cage is swung round the owner's head.
It is indeed possible that without any advantage being thus gained, the loud voices of many male birds may be the result of the inherited effects of the continued use of their vocal organs when excited by the strong passions of love, jealousy and rage...
Mr. Jenner Weir is convinced that birds pay particular attention to the colours of other birds, sometimes out of jealousy, and sometimes as a sign of kinship
Accounts of Jealousy in various animals
A Jealous cat
When Nancy Golden married, her doting cat named CG became jealous of her new husband the moment he moved in.
"For Nancy Golden of Bedford, Mass., life was good. She was a successful business executive with a beautiful apartment and a doting feline soulmate named C.G., who enthusiastically welcomed her home from the office each evening and shared her bed.
And then life got even better. Golden met and married Jim Storms, the man of her dreams. But the moment they all moved in together, Golden, who now goes by her married name of Storms, found herself embroiled in an unusual ménage à trois with her husband and the cat.
C.G. would wake Jim up by screaming at him nose to nose, much like a baseball manager yelling at an umpire after a bad call against a player. She also cried constantly, refused to eat and would glare at the couple in disgust when they tried to be intimate"
Extract from
Ménagerie à trois How to handle a 'jealous' pet by By Sandy Robins
Read More:
msnbc.msn.com/id/4780781/
Here is a story of jealously and competitiveness between a sheep and two hens for the attentions of Rambo the ram.
"That Hannah the sheep is in love with Rambo the sheep is no secret. Indeed, it’s obvious even to first-time volunteers as Hannah bolts from her stall each morning in search of her Romeo. If she finds him immediately, all is well. But if Rambo is out of sight—either intentionally hiding or simply munching hay in a newly-vacated stall—she is initially disturbed, then worried, finally panic-stricken and uttering a heart-wrenching, baleful “baa-aah” as the time it takes to find her soul mate increases. Once she locates him, all is again right in her world. She settles into her sheepness, content to roam the barnyard, grazing, stealing alfalfa from the hay room, and plotting kitchen break-ins….as long, that is, as Rambo is no more than a foot or two from her. It is a relationship that she needs desperately, and one that Rambo sometimes seems to appreciate, other times only tolerate.
Enter Barbie the hen...
Unfortunately, Barbie has chosen Rambo.
For several weeks, Barbie has been napping right next to Rambo, sometimes so close that surely even through his wool Rambo can probably feel the heat emanating from her big bird body. Sometimes she climbs on top of his back, the patient Rambo motionless, and falls sound asleep, Rambo taking her overtures in good stride...
The deepening of this relationship was too much for Hannah. One recent afternoon, she was nowhere to be found as I entered the barn to set up feed.
“Where’s Hannah?” I asked Walt.
“She’s in time out.”
“What happened?” I asked, imagining his response.
“She head-butted Barbie halfway across the aisle.”
I never imagined I’d work at a place where a sheep and a hen would vie for the attention of a second sheep’s affection
An extract from : Kathy Steven the Blind Horse Sings blog
Unfortunately the above link to the original story is no longer active.
Links to on-line articles concerning jealousy in non human animals
Until recently, it was believed that most animals only experienced primary emotions such as anger, anxiety and surprise. But the new research suggests that dogs and some other animals can experience so-called secondary emotions such as embarrassment, jealousy, empathy or guilt. The dog study is the latest into several species, including cows, horses, cats and sheep, which have shown that animals are far more self-aware than previously realised.
dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1092637/Why-dogs-jealous-Scientists-reveal-pets-complex-range-emotions.html
According to research dogs get jealous if their relationship with their owner involves them in a kind of "love triangle" when another dog, or animal or human is introduced. In fact the predisposition towards feelings of jealousy may run deep and be a genetic tendency found in wolves who are of course the ancestors of today's dogs.
A genetic propensity for jealousy may even run as deep as a dog's ancient wolf ancestors.
"I would definitely think you would find jealousy in wolves," said lead researcher Paul Morris. "For example, sexual jealousy would be an extremely powerful motivator in the wild state. Jealousy would also relate to position in hierarchy and alliances between animals within a pack."
Extract from the article from: Jilted Dogs Get Jealous, Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News
Read more:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2006/08/24/1723133.htm
I have told people in the past that my old dog, Rusty, was the most jealous dog that I’d ever seen. Some people would respond with the statement that animals don’t know how to be jealous but you could tell from Rusty’s actions that he was certainly a jealous dog. If I ever gave any attention at all to my other dog (a dog that Rusty had grown up with his entire life) Rusty would immediately come over and get in between me and the other dog and demand attention.
Dealing with a Jealous Pet (Especially How to Deal with Dog Jealousy)
by Kathryn Vercillo
Read more of the above article about jealously in companion animals long with some good advice as to what look for and how to deal with it.
kathrynvercillo.hubpages.com/hub/Dealing-with-a-Jealous-Pet
Is the above jealously or territorial behaviour as the author suggests for those who cannot accept that an animal is capable of this emotion? I rather think the former as the characteristics of these behaviours are far too complex and attention grabbing to be merely territorial behaviours and in some ways resemble behaviours, with some obvious differences of course, exhibited by humans who are jealous, particularly children. For example sulking and refusing to eat and other attention seeking activities.
Hens are capable of jealousy
Of four rescued hens two have bonded with their guardian. Doris has bonded in a quite shy way slowly approaching pecking here and there along the ground the way chickens do before jumping into her guardian's lap and falling peacefully to sleep. Soon however the second bonded hen Sweet Pea takes notice. She is a more gregarious hen and issuing a shrill call quickly moves in the direction of her sleeping companion and her guardian and stares up to try and "negotiate her rightful place next to us. Is she jealous or just vying for attention? Either way, it seems pretty clear that at those moments when she becomes aware of Doris and I, she doesn’t want to feel “left out.” Once Sweet Pea has managed to find a comfortable perch on my leg and I stroke the feathers on her back, she seems to fall into the same hypnotic calm, and the fuss that got her here seems to just melt away".
Even more interesting is the fact that Sweet Pea’s jealousy is unique to her alone. None of the other hens have this reaction.
Read the full story
The Chicken’s True Nature Series: A Hen’s Jealousy
Unfortunately this article is no longer available.
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