Here’s a fascinating article about a group of people who freed a massive humpbacked whale who had become entangled in ropes and weights that were threatening to drag the animal down. Once again the dreaded a-word–anthropomorphism–is mentioned in the usual, apologetic “I don’t want be anthropomorphic, but…” manner as one of those involved described the whale’s behavior after being freed. Whenever this happens, I can’t help wondering if people likewise would feel a need to question the meaning of such behavior had it been displayed by a person incapable of verbal communication who instead used body language to communicate their gratitude under similar circumstances. Would such apologies for interpreting the behavior as a show of thanks be necessary? Would some expert feel obligated to point out that we can’t really know if that’s what that person needed to communicate? My guess is no. I suspect that there are some basic displays that are so fundamental that their meaning is immediately apparent, regardless of the species displaying them.
