Beyond Words summary

If someone asked you to design an experiment to determine what thoughts were running through an animal’s head, what would you do?

Well, one popular theory for testing the animal capacity for thought is called the theory of mind, or the ability to determine what others are likely thinking, and then to respond accordingly.

As you might know, the domesticated dogs of today are descended from wolves. But you likely don’t know how this process of transformation occurred. Actually, dogs domesticated themselves – here’s how.

Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t the selective breeding of humans that domesticated dogs, but the adaptation of the animals themselves to the human settlements that provided them with food. This made it advantageous for wild dogs to be friendly to humans, as the friendly wolves got more food, bred more and eventually became what we know as dogs.

Did you know that the basic structure of your brain is very similar to that of other mammals?

This surprising fact says a lot about animal thought because having brains and hormones comparable to those of humans makes other mammals act, feel and think much like we do. In fact, animals actually demonstrate cognition, the ability to perceive and acquire knowledge.

If you’ve ever observed elephants you know that they organize by group, a clear indication of their complex society. In fact, elephants even understand intra-group relationships, like which baby belongs to whom. This is called “understanding third-party relationships” and it’s key to functioning as a group.

Not just that, but they’re a species led by a matriarch who holds the knowledge and history of the group. When she dies, another female will take her place, the group will divide or merge with another. Furthermore, as it’s essential for elephant families to remember where watering holes and food sources are located, they require adaptable brains, capable of learning.

Can you imagine someone hunting you down with a gun? Most of us would be terrified. So it's no surprise that that's how animals respond, too.

Orcas, a species that have been systematically hunted – even with machine guns – dramatically decreased in number in the twentieth century. These so-called “killer whales” hunted the same fish that fishermen prized and were therefore seen as competition. On top of that, their young were captured to stock aquariums.

So, elephants’ brains are comparable to those of humans and they therefore have similar intelligence. But what about other animals?

Well, it used to be thought that a pack of wolves was led by an alpha male. However, every member of the pack is crucial, from the alpha female he’s breeding with to their pups. That’s because the alphas need their offspring to hunt and need a partner to rear those pups.

We all know that every person is different and the same is true for animals. However, personality in animals goes largely unacknowledged and it’s an area of study that requires more focus.

For instance, “Oh-Six,” the granddaughter of Twenty-One, was an even more capable hunter. She could bring down two elk all by herself, a feat unheard of until that point. Naturally, her pack flourished. But during a hard winter, Yellowstone proved too small a hunting ground and they left the park.

If you only looked at their teeth, killer whales would resemble a seafaring T. Rex. But get to know them and you’ll see that they’re cooperative, generous and pose no threat to humans.

Why?

So killer whales can communicate with each other, but the fact that humans can’t understand them is actually a result of our own poor hearing. Sound travels better in water than in air, so killer whales are vocal creatures, and we just don’t have the ears to hear them properly. Orcas can communicate across distances of 150 miles using sound to send messages and locate fish!

Human visual perception is also lacking, which means that what we call visible light is just a fraction of the light that exists. Many animals see more of it or just view it differently than we do – sometimes “seeing” with senses other than sight. Interpreting sounds can be considered a form of vision that even humans can learn.