Do other animals have a sense of humour or can they laugh?

Question

Obviously everybody knows that hyenas laugh, but thats not because they think somethings funny. Also I've heard dogs can only feel happiness, sadness and jealousness, but can other animals laugh or finds things funny... i was pondering on this the other night when i couldn't sleep, yeh i was that bored!

Answer 1

I know for a fact my cat has no sense of humor.  I tell him jokes all the time and everyone else laughs but he just sits there with the same blank expression on his face.  Pompous bastar d.

Answer 2

I can't confirm or describe my dog's behvior but I do think she finds things to be funny sometimes. I suspect it's just the way she c***s her head but it could be something else. She loves to be tickled which usually makes people laugh but makes her excited.

My dog has an archenemy too so definitely jealousy.

I have watched her pee directly in front of another dog everyday for a year and I swear it was just to p**s him off. The little tease.

Answer 3

Chimpanzees can laugh and like to play jokes on each other, and on researchers who are studying them.  There is no good evidence that any other animals understand the concept of humor.  Only monkeys and apes have the ability to express emotions with facial expressions  Other animals don't have the flexibility of mouth and lips and facial muscles to produce anything like a smile or a frown.  This makes it very hard to tell what they are thinking.

Of course, dogs and cats can bare their teeth and growl, but this is a very general signal, and can mean fear, dislike, or a threat.

Answer 4

I know they can feel joy, sadness, and loneliness.  They are happy when they see you.  They are sad when they know something is wrong and wimper.  They are lonely when no one is around to play with them

Answer 5

Animals do laugh ... but I would say they have a sense of mirth rather than a sense of humor.

The neural circuits for laughter exist in our animals friends .. they just can't get out the "ha ha" that humans do.

Chimps and dogs pant and rats chirp, dolphins also make noises that would be considered laughter.

But you won't see Fido digging up his friend's bone and burying it in another hole, then waiting behind the tree giggling while his buddy looks for it. They don't posses that sort of joking/sense of humor like we do. I don't think they have the the cognitive function to discern humor/irony.

But they definitely are playful and silly and will laugh.

My dog enjoys playing hide and seek and will pant and jump and be silly when he catches me. He surely is laughing and having a great time.

And just try tickling them ...

Answer 6

This was a good question, I think there are some animals that have that emotion, I guess its all in how you notice there behavior, and read there body language! I hope this helped.