Do animals really smile? (dog, look)

[no kudzu]

There are some great shots of dogs especially smiling and I believe they do. but a turtle? What animals do you think really smile?

[Katie1]

Humans read a lot into expressions. No they Dont per sa Smile its the way their muscles are made for better eating drink etc.

[baileyvpotter]

There must be some study out there. Apes, monkeys and dogs smile. Here's a few I enjoyed looking at,
but are they really smiling?

http://raids.com/uploads/funny-smili...animals-23.jpg

http://www.takepart.com/sites/defaul...ive%20SIZE.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7ls7nP9To2...00/animal2.jpg


http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/A4/B35052..._cBiMjNvcE.jpg

[wEirdhuMan]

Originally Posted by no kudzu

There are some great shots of dogs especially smiling and I believe they do. but a turtle? What animals do you think really smile?

I know that dogs I've had expressed emotion.

Like this one time my dog (a male) was being humped by another male. Just on the stomach, and it all happened so fast (yet so slow).

My dog was laying in the grass on his back, and the dog started humping his stomach.

I could tell it took my dog like 2 seconds to "comprehend" what was going on.

After the 2 seconds I could see that he figured it out in his brain.

He quickly jumped backwards and then stood up.

He clearly said "WTF" in his doggy mind.

And he was distraught for a few seconds afterwards.

[wEirdhuMan]

Originally Posted by baileyvpotter

There must be some study out there. Apes, monkeys and dogs smile. Here's a few I enjoyed looking at,
but are they really smiling?

Here's a short video of apes being released after 30 years imprisonment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7PAMgNEtSY



You can see that some chimpanzees are more outgoing than others , some are shyer more cautious.

You can see them with confused looks, with curiosity, with happiness, with sharing their happiness with others by giving each other hugs.

[ketty1985]

Yes , They do but we may or may not notice their expressions .

[bjh]

Most animals' faces are not structured like our, and they don't rely as much on facial expression to convey meaning or communicate feelings. To expect animals to function as we do in facial expressions is anthropomorphism, which can lead people to totally misunderstand an animals feelings or intentions. Even without expressive faces, animals DO have feelings. They just express them differently, if at all. Whether they can express them or not, they have them.

[Heidi60]

I had a wonderful dog who used to crinkle her nose into a contorted kind of smile when she was caught with her head in the trash bin. She knew better but just had to try to find an overlooked goodie.

They do have a way of making me smile whether that is their intent or not.

[longnecker]

Originally Posted by bjh

Most animals' faces are not structured like our, and they don't rely as much on facial expression to convey meaning or communicate feelings. To expect animals to function as we do in facial expressions is anthropomorphism, which can lead people to totally misunderstand an animals feelings or intentions. Even without expressive faces, animals DO have feelings. They just express them differently, if at all. Whether they can express them or not, they have them.

While they don't technically have facial expressions my dogs appearance convey happiness on unhappiness to me

[bjh]

Originally Posted by longnecker

While they don't technically have facial expressions my dogs appearance convey happiness on unhappiness to me

Agreed. Cats too convey happiness with purring and head bonks and licking hands. We have a cat that grabs my hand and licks the back until I think she'll take the skin off. She loves me.