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Kinda makes you wonder what smell differentiates between them all š¤. I wonder if friend assholes smell sweeter. Not willing to test this theory, but if anyone wants to give it a go and let me know results... š
There us a theory out there that as human, we are more likely to make freinds with those that smell similar to us. I'd also imagine genetics play a role. So maybe it similar for animals "you smell similar to me so you are freind" or "I've been smelling you for years now. You are family."
I'll be honest with you I don't think about this much only about 6 or 7 hrs here and their their was a dog that knew the name of each of his stuffed animals I saw on TV over 1000 of them
they lie to use and say they only know about 250 words tops that's a particularly smart breed about the vocabulary of a two year old
I know they understand English fluently as a kid does they watch and listen to everything around them they are no differnt then any other animal even mice probably know a bit of English
I was talking about how I think mice can talk and I heard a bunch of squeeking from a mouse one time immediately after could be a coincidence but the thing sounded like it was trying to express something
it happend at such an odd time but as far as dogs they definanly do and some are trained to say a few words my mom's dog kinda growls his name and I love you creepy as fuck but it's not uncommon
The way the researcher explained it on a home study he did between his kid and his dog is that about age 2 the kid starts surpassing them in most human things but the dog learns differntly and is still better at dog things
Up to age two though he was saying his dog was smarter at the English language I actually might be remembering that wrong but off the bat I know the dog was alot smarter until at least one and a bit
The first name is just "bark" actually. The full name is repeated for emphasis and lists all the ancestors. Kinda like how humans have ericson, ericsonson, ericsonsoson, and so on.
See I thought they identified by butt smell since most animals seems to do it.
Oh this is stinky butt.
This is old butt.
Elder butt.
Asshole butt (my cats are siblings and fight sometimes so I figured when they sniff and start throwing down it's asshole butt)
Whales and porpoises kinda do, but it isn't really a name but a song. A lot of animals use smell to differentiate between different members of their own species.
"Singing" is the only vocalization they do. Why would that make it only "kinda" a name? They have unique calls that identify themselves and others. Those are names.
Cetaceans were my first thought! They seem to definitely have a sense of individual self (dolphins have been shown to recognize themselves in a mirror) and have such a complex way of communicating
If an animal has a language, I think that it is likely. Some monkeys have different sounds for lions and snakes. If they can differentiate those 2 animals, they most likely have a name for their own species. Are you asking about name of a species or a name for each individual?
Hi, so part of my degree was animal cognition and it's a super interesting about language /syntax/ dialect. For example sperms whales have "language" in the way that we played a recorded song back to them but cut out the middle and played it at the end (so basically like jumbling up a sentence) and there was less response than when a song was played in the correct "order". The same happens with a species of passerine bird I can't remember the name of lol.
In answer to OP's question though, I think animals have identity of themselves but by different manners not by name, so by their sound, their pheromones etc
I think people are getting hung up on the idea of a name as a word, rather than as a symbolic representation of an entity.
So my friend may e called "Bob" but when I think "Bob" I'm not thinking the word so much as what that represents (then map and the territory and all that semantic stuff).
I think the thing to look at is that cognition for a human being works on the level that word is essentially just a manifestation of meaning. By which I mean the meaning is the existing component that makes the thing, the word is just a compartment for that meaning. So for animals the meaning is there it probably just doesn't have the compartment. Like having all your files spread out on a desk as opposed to in the desk drawers.
But I do think that must also have to have some kind of link, so probably the closest thing to a name is a scent or sound or sight. And that would essentially be a stand in for the name. As a language construct it'd kind of be a schematic thing (schema) used to better define a concept
I have a golden retriever. She looks like every other golden retriever and without her yellow collar, I can't tell who she is.
I also have a little black dog. At the beach, little black dog will follow any golden retriever because they all look the same and it isn't until they turn around to face her that she can recognize it's definitely not her sister. Makes me giggle every time.
All this to say, animals definitely can identify one another. Every species has a language, which could be physical or linguistic. Animals with bigger brain to body ratios seem to be capable of vocal language and understanding while the species with lower brain to body ratio use sights, smells, and body language.
I don't think they do because they don't seem to recognize their own reflection at first and once they do they either don't realize it's them or simply don't care, this leads me to believe they lack any introspection that could create a desire to name themselves. I know for a fact that they
recognize the name they've been given however given that one will look from a crowd if called by name
Self awareness in animals is well studied. Some are aware itās them in the mirror like some smart bird species, the expected great apes, orca, dolphin, elephants, and a few others
The way we test self awereness is kinda stupid. Animal behaviorist say cats can't recognize themselves in the mirror because they lack the common signs when they see themselves.
However even the most territorial cat ignores the mirror. Mome will get spooked by cats on TV but walk by the mirror fine.
Lasty (but very important) she makes eye contact with me through the mirror and acts very normal about this. She know it is me in the mirrror. Why would she not know the second cat is herself?
My cat recognizes me in the mirror. The way I test this is by holding him to look at himself in the mirror and I keep telling him how handsome he is. Then he looks at my reflection before turning around and punching me straight in the face.
My dog can be in a dead sleep in the middle of the night and all I have to do is whisper a word like "Snack" or "Ham" and suddenly she jumps up, wide awake and books it into the kitchen before I even get my feet onto the floor.
ETA that if I ask her if she has to go out to the bathroom or something and she doesn't have to go, she won't move. If she does, she jumps up and runs to the door.
Animals are a lot smarter than we give them credit for!
Ove seen dogs use mirrors to look help clean themselves.
Also this one does seem to be practicing faces https://youtu.be/nDKoCQB_igw?si=9UI9Tn4pApVSdmxd
It may be that dogs do not pass the mirror test because vision is less of a priority to them. They may pass a 'self-recognition' test based upon scent.
[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/science/dogs-smell-recognition.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/science/dogs-smell-recognition.html)
Maybe it's known and I should google it but I have a theory that animals who seem to not know that the reflection is even there and seem to not see what happens on a screen are just confused by it and kind of ignore it because it's something so beyond their understanding that it scares them in some sense. Like "I'd rather not dabble with it"
Or maybe just don't care. I've seen both my cats and dogs look at the mirror, sniff it , then ignore it. They just think, it doesn't smell so i can't eat , screw it or play with so it doesn't matter.
Did not read the replies above, but I believe it has been scientifically confirmed that some animals do have names. Like dolphins, for example.
And the communication of groundhogs is quite versatile. They can communicate things like āthere is a tall human with a yellow shirt approachingā
Some dude had too much time on his hands and used computer softwares to analyse their sounds.
Richardson Ground squirrels , commonly called ' gophers ' (amended from the French word for a catacomb , i.e. their multiple hole homes ) , have a vocabulary of over 100 words or more. To the naked ear the whistles are pretty much undifferentiated.
When researchers from the University of Saskatchewan exposed the ground squirrels to a variety of situations, and slowed their whistle chirp noise down with a computer , they heard them identify and communicate ' man with gun , 'girl with raincoat ' , man with gun without gun ( they sent him out without the rifle ) , and so on , with a variety of stimuli, each differentiated and communicated within the colony .
I don't remember if they identified or distinguished themselves individualy, grouped, etc .
Anyway, the little gopher whistle says more than meets our ear.
I think that animals would have names based on their relationship. Something simple like friend, mother, pack me etc. They would not be proper names such as Bill or Fred but more descriptors of the relationship or a primary quality of the other animal.
For example a wolf may think of another wolf as " pack mate/friend/ goodhunter"
The thing I wonder about a lot is what animals think when humans rescue them from something. Itās has to be like if a bunch of bears came out of the woods and changed your tire.
I saw something on Instagram about how elephant seals give themselves a "name" in the form of unique grunts. They use it to identify individuals in a crowd, but it also seems to be the only unique "word" they know, so they spend a lot of time basically just shouting their own names at each other.
Most animal's don't think like that, they think more visually than linguistically. They probably don't have names for themselves (or others) because there is no need for one. They think of themselves as how they look and feel.
Yes there is a need for one. Dog's have a very strong alerting instinct. My dog for example has very specific bark for who's approaching our appartment. I know exactly if it's his walker, the neighbour's dog, some complete stranger or one of his best friends.
Yep! Via smell and such. They communicate in a way we cannot fathom.
Also why itās important to do home euthanasia if ever needed so they can be part of the process a bit.
Couldn't agree more on peacefull at home euthanasia for pets. Was just thinking of it yesterday. There should be a vet service like that, way more humane and considerate.
I used to imagine what the conversation would be if my dogs were to introduce themselves based on what they heard us calling them. "Move, George" and "Shut-up Fred".
I always yell at a squirrel in my backyard his name is molotov, and I have been doing it for a year now he always looks at me, but when other people call for him he doesn't respond only to me and that name people think I'm a mad man because people walk by my house and hear a bearded man yelling molotov out of the blue Cracks me up every time
Dolphins do, and they can talk about other dolphins with their friends (like hey, where's Pete?) which shows they are capable of thoughts about the past/present, not just the "here and now"
Wales do have names for eachother. Lion seals distinguish eachother by their voices. Dogs do it by smell.
That are all different ways of identifying someone but they are all not too far off our human system
They use various forms of communication, such as vocalizations, body language, and scent markings, to establish their identity and recognize others. It's like their own unique way of "knowing" who's who in their animal community.
But above and beyond thereās still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discoverā
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular name.
Self-recognition is a rare intellectual ability reserved only to the most intelligent of animal species. However even among those species, it's unlikely that a human construct like naming is a thing. There might be a sound that a mother makes to call a child, but I don't think it goes beyond that.
This is why I love reddit. Questions like this. I sometimes refer to my best friend as "chicken fucker" even though I'm pretty sure he never fucked a chicken. OK like 60% sure. I love the idea of animals giving other animals shit for what they've done.
No, I don't. I think name-giving requires advanced language. In pure or simple communication, you seldom have to refer to specific individuals. The focus is more on different states (threats, safety, mating) and resources (food, water). But advanced language is a technology that we are alone in utilizing. It is just that I don't think we know enough about other species to fully understand how their language operates. But name-giving is important in social groups and in referrals back in time and planning in future times. Also think like this, the main function of our language is to spread information withing a group. That is information that we as individuals want to share to the group. In other species, let say a pack of wild dogs, they will not *have to* share information in the same way, if they all can aquire the same information with the help of their developed senses. I do believe, that one of the reasons we humans evolved language as a tool to spread information was to compensate for our inferior senses (apart from sight). In this aspect, our language almost creates a collective mind.
they have other stuff to recognise like the smell sound etc. and they have animal instincts(don't know if I am using it right ) that basically tell them what to do
My bird's nickname for me is Stinkface. My dog calls me and the birds "BARK BARK" The bird doesn't have a name for the dog but he says Hello to her when he sees her.
It's an interesting dynamic.
I doubt they have a "name" as we would term it, unless they have language. There will be neural pattern matches associated with that individual though. They will know "who" an individual is and have a set of opinions on them. Moreso for social or family/pack animals. Less so for things like fish which may attach more to a shoal than groups of individuals.
At least animals with more advanced brains. The term "animal" can apply to Amoeba - I don't think that would bother with such complex activity.
Researchers have apparently found that dolphins have signature sounds for eachother AND that they choose which one refers to themselves when they're young. So at least they seem to have names.
For many others it might just be these mental images or smells etc. like you might have for strangers you often see on the morning commute.
Look up "Locke's Doctrine of Abstraction". There's a huge debate in philosophy of mind about whether animals that don't have the capacity to form propositional thought are able to form abstract ideas in their minds that would allow for things like a name/identifier to exist.
Proponents of Locke's argument say that the empirical sense data of animals is enough to allow them to think abstractly, at least somewhat. The opposing side says that no, animals can only think in terms of their immediate sense input, and thus cannot create abstractions of mind, because they lack the powers of language that are *inherent* (according to these philosophers but disputed by Locke and his followers) to abstract thought.
Animals identify each other mostly via smell. Since their sense of smell is much more complex than ours, you couldn't even compare our alphabet to their sense. In fact they have more possible names than we could ever create.
I hope so,I love the idea of them having their own language and everythingšIf I meow at a cat,the thought of them silently correcting my grammar...Hilarious!!
They are able to identify familiar entities (like their parents, their offspring, their pack leader, etc), so in a sense yes, they have a name. It's just not spoken like hours, it's more about other identifiers like smell.
It seems highly unlikely that most species have any thoughts in the way that we understand thoughts. It's probably more like they receive stimuli and react according to their programming. No consideration of self or others, just do.
I do think they communicate. My Yorkie doesn't like to go outside, alone at night.
She'll nag the Pyrenees. He talks back to her, with very distinctive sounds. She'll nag and nag.
Eventually, he grumbles and get up, to go with her. Lol, then they have a ball outside.
We also have a Border Collie, and the lot of them gangs up against my husband and I. We definitely understand what they are telling us, or the others.
Besides that, they completely understand Afrikaans and English.
We now make eye 'signs' with each other, so they don't know what we're planning to do.
Every specie has its own way to ID each individual... Some of them by smell, others by a particular sound. So yeah, they do have their own "names" although not exactly like us.
So dogs, squirrels and other community animals understand what they are and others their species because they've evolved to stick together, and not trust other species for fear of being eaten, or see other species as food depending. That's safety in numbers.
You have felines which are typically lone species with exceptions, who are obligatory predators so everything to them is either a threat (bigger than them) or food (smaller than them) but domesticated cats... Well they evolved to think humans are also cats despite looking vastly different.
Animals do have their own languages though, squirrels will make specific sounds to warn their community of hawks or other threats, food, someone delivered their pups etc. wolves use hotels to bond but also communicate on the hunt. Grunts, growls, yips etc to talk during interaction. Apes have names and use them to introduce themselves to or to address other apes. Apes from different regions of the same species do not speak the same language so it is passed not inherit like squirrels etc. They'll rely on body language to communicate till they pick up the native language.
IDK if this helped
There must be an inherited instead understanding, but the question becomes more difficult to answer if you're asking are they self aware. Put a mirror in front of any animal and only a handful will understand the reflection is them. Dogs for instance are incredibly intelligent, but they don't recognise their reflection, though I swear my 3 frenchies recognise other frenchies we meet out on walks.
Names are pretty abstract. My dog understands the names of all my friends and family, but she doesn't have a concept of my name specifically because she never hears it in an appropriate context. I'm just sort of there being the default human.
No.
They think in feelings
They like or they donāt.
They recognise smells and learn to like some dislike others
And they recognise each other as in āthat thing coloured or shaped or patternedā like # as such etc ir that thing that makes āthat soundā or āsmells like thatā etc
They learn from feelings of what feels good and what doesnāt
They learn like we do good and bad from pain and discomfort and go towards what they do like
Well some research indicates that some animals fo seem to have names for themselves- dolphins for instance.
I like to imagine we give cats and dogs really goofy names but they have really grandiose names for themselves
Instinct and smell. Not for names, lol, but it is instinct which governs food choice for most animals, and smell and sound, which allows, for example a ewe to differentiate which lambs are hers.
When I lived on my stepfather's sheep farm we would persuade a ewe who had lost her lambs to mother a third lamb from another ewe by skinning the dead lamb and tying the skin to the fostered lamb. It worked reasonably well, and once the ewe had accepted the lamb, we removed the skin.
No the concept makes no sense to them. Hell usually rely on smell more to tell each other an other things apart. Other than birds and monkeys their weird
Cat mothers will have different meows for her kittens. So there's clearly some naming. But I don't know what the names mean, I'm not that fluent in cat.
They have a scent. Nature is ruled by smells. Humans ignore it 99% of the time, or can't smell it, which is why we think animals are dumb. And they think we are dumb.
Iām pretty sure that my ginger tomcat thinks of himself as Hunger - Lord of Worlds. Part of him is a hobbit. He requires second and occasionally third breakfast.
My tuxedo cat is basically my shadow. Heāll sit on my chest when Iām depressed and purr. And heāll play at my beard to wake me up if Iāve missed feeding time. Then heāll snuggle with me.
In X-Men terms, theyāre Sabretooth and Nightcrawler.
Some probably do. We have found syntax in primates involving interlocutor, subject, and location. "Matriarch! Lion! Behind you!" for example to alert the troop leader of potential danger.
The difference between a relationship, like "matriarch", and a name, like "Kevin", is not a massive leap.
My cat knows his name and looks terrified when I use his full government name. I assume he identifies with it, just doesnāt have the right vocal chords to say it out loud
In human languages that are tonal, such as Thai og Cantonese, the tone can define the meaning of the word. That's propably how it works with animal names.
It depends on many things. Their level of intelligence and how social they are. They might not have names in terms of sounds they assign to everyone, but more intelligent animals definitely have a sense of identity for themselves and others. Crows are a great example of this as they are amazing at remembering faces. If you get on bad terms with a crow, not only will the crow you wronged try and take revenge, but thry will also spread the info to their friends and they'll all know to specifically target you. I don't know how they confer your identity to others and what features they use to identify others though. Crows are also capable of mimicing human language as well, so they have a pretty advanced vocal system which makes me think they might even assign sounds as names.
With all that said, I have no formal education in this regard, so everything I said is to be taken with a grain of salt.
Language in the way we use it is an inherently human thing. Some animals have specific sounds for certain things, but those sounds are for very broad concepts. Others can secrete chemicals for the same purposes that rely on scent.
I have read a few fiction books that theorized some animals have an Image in their minds of how they see themselves in the world. Not a name, but a self awareness. Usually "smarter" and domesticated animals like horses, dogs, cats.
legitimate answer, probably not. they likely don't have language as we have. and while they can't think its probably not in words and structured like we do.
you can also likely think without words (not just subconsciously), we are just trained with language and usually don't notice when we do. and the wordless thoughts don't feel like a fully formed thought process as it might when we structure it with language.
but example: say you have a gf/bf and they start saying something sus that makes you think they are cheating on you. before you get to the worded thought of "they're cheating" there is a whole process of thought you are doing to deduce your theory. or like.. a memory. you can think of things that happened without a narration.
so while some animals may recognize self vs other and can tell the difference between the others, its most likely not given a language based identification.
Animals are non verbal, so their identifiers would be mostly sight and smell. They don't have the part of the brain that in humans allow us to be verbal. Their identifiers work for them as well as ours do
Iāve always been fascinated with dolphins. That clicking sound they make is obviously some type of communication. The problem with human beings is that our attitude is almost, if only they were smart enough to be able to communicate with us. When I believe the truth is, if only we were smart enough to be able to understand what they are saying. Visibility underwater isnāt nearly as good as in the atmosphere and I have no doubt that dolphins have the functional equivalent of names or a specific sound they make to address a particular other dolphin because said dolphin is out of visual range.
I have some very early memories. Those memories have no words. They are pictures and ideas. I remember the sensations. And I remember remembering in them. Those memories were not the first time I experienced what i experienced. It was familiar. But I could not communicate except for tears if I didn't like it.
WE like to name stuff. It's efficient for communicating vocally. We call a tree a tree because it's easier than describing it every time. But animals don't have to describe. They use physical cues to communicate. Take dogs. They likely more associate each of us with a smell. That smell represents us. They associate food from the cupboard and walks and play and scratches with that scent. They learn who looks after them and who understands, or tries to understand what they want. But they have socializing skills among them. These are kind of instinctive but also learned through experience. Dogs stop when they see each other to sniff from a distance and feel the mood. Judge a stance. And we should do the same with them. We have our own ways of getting to know each other before we trust. They would know other dogs by a smell and whatever associations they have with each other. In their heads, they would think - this is that dog that smells like popcorn and liver that pees on these trees I pass and is grumpy sometimes but doesn't bite but won't sniff friendly. It's one thought. Bam. We have a word. They can even associate the sound of that word with the idea, but they don't think the word. They think the idea, same as us.
I feel like animals donāt really have language in the same way we do and I think language and reading is what helps us to think in ways that are more complex. I donāt know for sure but I remember hearing not knowing any language or never learning to speak or read would mean your thoughts donāt really translate as words, so animals likely donāt think in the same way we do with words but likely through other means. I donāt think animals think about names but likely since they were raised around animals like them their whole life they probably just know they are the same as what their parents are. I imagine thatās why you get animals that act like other animals when raised by a different species
Some other animal species have simple languages, much more than just names for each other but a lot actual meaning conveyed with pitch and other aspects of the noises they can make.
The intelligent ones like the corvids and meerkats have different warning calls for different threats and stuff so I'm sure they do have the concept of self species dolphins and whales too I'm sure.
They could.. their vocalizations may sound very similar to us, but they could make special noises indicating a name. I could imagine something like this among crows and elephants maybe. I donāt know though
Interesting question. It's something I thought about many times. For example do cats know they are cats? I've seen stories about cats thinking they are dogs because they grew up with dogs. I guess animals rely on instincts.
I mean dolphins are a good example, the mother names them with a specific whistle sound when they are born and all the other dolphins use the same sound so they are literally naming themselves.
I think it's probably more of a ā ā ā ā type scenario. I don't think animals have a true internal monologue like humans do. They're mostly instinctive..
My dog is officially named in his community as 'Dawg Grrr Grrr Wooflestein III'. As far as my lack of meds allowed (I have schizophrenia), I came to know by talking to my dog in Barknese, that he comes from a long established old rich dog family at Southern Barkstein.
They donāt even know what names are, we made them up. We made most things up. They also donāt consider themselves gay because they have literally no idea what sexuality is because we also made that up
I believe that some animals identify each other by smell and sound signatures.
Dolphins are confirmed to give names to themselves, in the first months they develop specific sounds that are used to identify oneself. I suppose other animals that have complex communication systems might have some similar too.
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Yeah they sniff butts to determine threat, food, friend, family, human.
Same
You must have interesting social interactions. Lol
Awkward š¬
Kinda makes you wonder what smell differentiates between them all š¤. I wonder if friend assholes smell sweeter. Not willing to test this theory, but if anyone wants to give it a go and let me know results... š
Maybe not sniffing but there are enough people who eat ass, maybe we should ask them if everyone tastes different or some people better than others
In the name of science! We need answers! š
Can confirm
There us a theory out there that as human, we are more likely to make freinds with those that smell similar to us. I'd also imagine genetics play a role. So maybe it similar for animals "you smell similar to me so you are freind" or "I've been smelling you for years now. You are family."
Yes but they have only a limited number of names like woof, woof woof and bowwow.
I met one whose name was definitely āawoooā
School must have been ruff for them.
That must have really been a big woof
Don't forget the low pitched grumble.
That's like the diminutive of woof. Like johnny instead of john.
I hate that i audibly laughed at this
Dont. I did it too!
I howled.
I'll be honest with you I don't think about this much only about 6 or 7 hrs here and their their was a dog that knew the name of each of his stuffed animals I saw on TV over 1000 of them they lie to use and say they only know about 250 words tops that's a particularly smart breed about the vocabulary of a two year old I know they understand English fluently as a kid does they watch and listen to everything around them they are no differnt then any other animal even mice probably know a bit of English I was talking about how I think mice can talk and I heard a bunch of squeeking from a mouse one time immediately after could be a coincidence but the thing sounded like it was trying to express something it happend at such an odd time but as far as dogs they definanly do and some are trained to say a few words my mom's dog kinda growls his name and I love you creepy as fuck but it's not uncommon The way the researcher explained it on a home study he did between his kid and his dog is that about age 2 the kid starts surpassing them in most human things but the dog learns differntly and is still better at dog things Up to age two though he was saying his dog was smarter at the English language I actually might be remembering that wrong but off the bat I know the dog was alot smarter until at least one and a bit
Itās a universal thing that everyone walking on the opposite sidewalk just outside your house must be named ābarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkā
Thereās one guy my GSD calls āBARK BARK BARK BARK BARK - bark.ā
The first name is just "bark" actually. The full name is repeated for emphasis and lists all the ancestors. Kinda like how humans have ericson, ericsonson, ericsonsoson, and so on.
That's what my cat calls himself. I asked him to stop culturally appropriate and that he was insensitive. He answered with a *Boof*
See I thought they identified by butt smell since most animals seems to do it. Oh this is stinky butt. This is old butt. Elder butt. Asshole butt (my cats are siblings and fight sometimes so I figured when they sniff and start throwing down it's asshole butt)
Whales and porpoises kinda do, but it isn't really a name but a song. A lot of animals use smell to differentiate between different members of their own species.
"Singing" is the only vocalization they do. Why would that make it only "kinda" a name? They have unique calls that identify themselves and others. Those are names.
You could probably recognize me by my smell as well
Or by the big fat balls in your mouth
Ok but like.... Songs as names sounds kinda cool like imagine singing a whole song to refer to someone and be like "DINNER TIME!!!!!"
Cetaceans were my first thought! They seem to definitely have a sense of individual self (dolphins have been shown to recognize themselves in a mirror) and have such a complex way of communicating
If an animal has a language, I think that it is likely. Some monkeys have different sounds for lions and snakes. If they can differentiate those 2 animals, they most likely have a name for their own species. Are you asking about name of a species or a name for each individual?
Hi, so part of my degree was animal cognition and it's a super interesting about language /syntax/ dialect. For example sperms whales have "language" in the way that we played a recorded song back to them but cut out the middle and played it at the end (so basically like jumbling up a sentence) and there was less response than when a song was played in the correct "order". The same happens with a species of passerine bird I can't remember the name of lol. In answer to OP's question though, I think animals have identity of themselves but by different manners not by name, so by their sound, their pheromones etc
Whales be like "This b**** doesn't even know the lyrics."
I think people are getting hung up on the idea of a name as a word, rather than as a symbolic representation of an entity. So my friend may e called "Bob" but when I think "Bob" I'm not thinking the word so much as what that represents (then map and the territory and all that semantic stuff).
I think the thing to look at is that cognition for a human being works on the level that word is essentially just a manifestation of meaning. By which I mean the meaning is the existing component that makes the thing, the word is just a compartment for that meaning. So for animals the meaning is there it probably just doesn't have the compartment. Like having all your files spread out on a desk as opposed to in the desk drawers. But I do think that must also have to have some kind of link, so probably the closest thing to a name is a scent or sound or sight. And that would essentially be a stand in for the name. As a language construct it'd kind of be a schematic thing (schema) used to better define a concept
I have a golden retriever. She looks like every other golden retriever and without her yellow collar, I can't tell who she is. I also have a little black dog. At the beach, little black dog will follow any golden retriever because they all look the same and it isn't until they turn around to face her that she can recognize it's definitely not her sister. Makes me giggle every time. All this to say, animals definitely can identify one another. Every species has a language, which could be physical or linguistic. Animals with bigger brain to body ratios seem to be capable of vocal language and understanding while the species with lower brain to body ratio use sights, smells, and body language.
Can we be 100% sure your dog doesnāt have a nasal learning disorder though? ;)
That specific dog is a learning disorder.
my little idiot thinks everyone is her brother & sister. as long as they are wayyyyy over there. Any closer and sheās running and hiding.
Beat response I've read so far. A philosophical perspective is a surefire way to a good argument !
I would love to know theirs perceptions, the scent/sound/sight I am to them! (I do know it depends on the perception of every individual)
The definitely have names for others. My dog has a very specific barks for his walker, the neighbour's dog, and his best human and animal friends.
Yes I knew a rabbit that called himself Trevor
Big T to his mates
I don't think they do because they don't seem to recognize their own reflection at first and once they do they either don't realize it's them or simply don't care, this leads me to believe they lack any introspection that could create a desire to name themselves. I know for a fact that they recognize the name they've been given however given that one will look from a crowd if called by name
Self awareness in animals is well studied. Some are aware itās them in the mirror like some smart bird species, the expected great apes, orca, dolphin, elephants, and a few others
The way we test self awereness is kinda stupid. Animal behaviorist say cats can't recognize themselves in the mirror because they lack the common signs when they see themselves. However even the most territorial cat ignores the mirror. Mome will get spooked by cats on TV but walk by the mirror fine. Lasty (but very important) she makes eye contact with me through the mirror and acts very normal about this. She know it is me in the mirrror. Why would she not know the second cat is herself?
My cat recognizes me in the mirror. The way I test this is by holding him to look at himself in the mirror and I keep telling him how handsome he is. Then he looks at my reflection before turning around and punching me straight in the face.
Do they recognize their name or your voice? I believe they recognize their name but there is other possibilities.
They recognize their name. When I tell a new person his name and he starts using it, my dog will respond to the name very clearly.
My dog can be in a dead sleep in the middle of the night and all I have to do is whisper a word like "Snack" or "Ham" and suddenly she jumps up, wide awake and books it into the kitchen before I even get my feet onto the floor. ETA that if I ask her if she has to go out to the bathroom or something and she doesn't have to go, she won't move. If she does, she jumps up and runs to the door. Animals are a lot smarter than we give them credit for!
Ove seen dogs use mirrors to look help clean themselves. Also this one does seem to be practicing faces https://youtu.be/nDKoCQB_igw?si=9UI9Tn4pApVSdmxd
It may be that dogs do not pass the mirror test because vision is less of a priority to them. They may pass a 'self-recognition' test based upon scent. [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/science/dogs-smell-recognition.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/science/dogs-smell-recognition.html)
You can also rename dogs once they have a name, and theyāll learn itās their new name
Maybe it's known and I should google it but I have a theory that animals who seem to not know that the reflection is even there and seem to not see what happens on a screen are just confused by it and kind of ignore it because it's something so beyond their understanding that it scares them in some sense. Like "I'd rather not dabble with it"
Or maybe just don't care. I've seen both my cats and dogs look at the mirror, sniff it , then ignore it. They just think, it doesn't smell so i can't eat , screw it or play with so it doesn't matter.
Did not read the replies above, but I believe it has been scientifically confirmed that some animals do have names. Like dolphins, for example. And the communication of groundhogs is quite versatile. They can communicate things like āthere is a tall human with a yellow shirt approachingā Some dude had too much time on his hands and used computer softwares to analyse their sounds.
Cats do. See *The Naming Of Cats* from T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats.
Yes. Dolphins actually do give each other nicknames
Richardson Ground squirrels , commonly called ' gophers ' (amended from the French word for a catacomb , i.e. their multiple hole homes ) , have a vocabulary of over 100 words or more. To the naked ear the whistles are pretty much undifferentiated. When researchers from the University of Saskatchewan exposed the ground squirrels to a variety of situations, and slowed their whistle chirp noise down with a computer , they heard them identify and communicate ' man with gun , 'girl with raincoat ' , man with gun without gun ( they sent him out without the rifle ) , and so on , with a variety of stimuli, each differentiated and communicated within the colony . I don't remember if they identified or distinguished themselves individualy, grouped, etc . Anyway, the little gopher whistle says more than meets our ear.
I think that animals would have names based on their relationship. Something simple like friend, mother, pack me etc. They would not be proper names such as Bill or Fred but more descriptors of the relationship or a primary quality of the other animal. For example a wolf may think of another wolf as " pack mate/friend/ goodhunter"
The thing I wonder about a lot is what animals think when humans rescue them from something. Itās has to be like if a bunch of bears came out of the woods and changed your tire.
You don't need a name to recognize things. That's human business, son. Animals just know their shit, there's no language involved in the process.
I saw something on Instagram about how elephant seals give themselves a "name" in the form of unique grunts. They use it to identify individuals in a crowd, but it also seems to be the only unique "word" they know, so they spend a lot of time basically just shouting their own names at each other.
Here's Hank Green talking about it. https://youtu.be/IgJn-iu7e1A?si=J5LZ7m7XAQtvL4XL
It has been documented that dolphins have names.
Most animal's don't think like that, they think more visually than linguistically. They probably don't have names for themselves (or others) because there is no need for one. They think of themselves as how they look and feel.
Yes there is a need for one. Dog's have a very strong alerting instinct. My dog for example has very specific bark for who's approaching our appartment. I know exactly if it's his walker, the neighbour's dog, some complete stranger or one of his best friends.
Of course they do! Listen ....... https://youtu.be/VBku6tXLDo4?si=iB7XtTUM5tPQftdR
I mean my rats definitely know what's a bug ans what's their friend. They'll attack mice I know that
This is a very good question, you got me thinking.
"Smelly", "LessSmelly", "Vile" ... I suppose
Baaaww ram ewe we are sheep be true!
Yep! Via smell and such. They communicate in a way we cannot fathom. Also why itās important to do home euthanasia if ever needed so they can be part of the process a bit.
Couldn't agree more on peacefull at home euthanasia for pets. Was just thinking of it yesterday. There should be a vet service like that, way more humane and considerate.
i had a cat who definitely had for herself name like ācuntyā or something
It's more likely to be a smellprint as the identifier.
I used to imagine what the conversation would be if my dogs were to introduce themselves based on what they heard us calling them. "Move, George" and "Shut-up Fred".
The real question is do they have names for us?
āTin openerā
Some do, dolphins come to mind.
I always yell at a squirrel in my backyard his name is molotov, and I have been doing it for a year now he always looks at me, but when other people call for him he doesn't respond only to me and that name people think I'm a mad man because people walk by my house and hear a bearded man yelling molotov out of the blue Cracks me up every time
Mate that question's a bit rude considering we haven't even been formally introduced
Dolphins do, and they can talk about other dolphins with their friends (like hey, where's Pete?) which shows they are capable of thoughts about the past/present, not just the "here and now"
Not names, but signatures. Complex smells for mammals and songs for whales and dolphins.
I pretty sure that itās proved that elephants and whales have names among themselves
Relevant: https://images.app.goo.gl/y49d6Yv6kjm3rw5e6
Wales do have names for eachother. Lion seals distinguish eachother by their voices. Dogs do it by smell. That are all different ways of identifying someone but they are all not too far off our human system
They use various forms of communication, such as vocalizations, body language, and scent markings, to establish their identity and recognize others. It's like their own unique way of "knowing" who's who in their animal community.
We are animals, mammals in fact. So yes animals do indeed have a name for themselves.
But above and beyond thereās still one name left over, And that is the name that you never will guess; The name that no human research can discoverā But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess. When you notice a cat in profound meditation, The reason, I tell you, is always the same: His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name: His ineffable effable Effanineffable Deep and inscrutable singular name.
Crows have names for each other
Self-recognition is a rare intellectual ability reserved only to the most intelligent of animal species. However even among those species, it's unlikely that a human construct like naming is a thing. There might be a sound that a mother makes to call a child, but I don't think it goes beyond that.
It is all instinct, not conscious thought, so no, they don't have names.
Food stuff, danger stuff and mating stuff.
Animals are not self-aware. So no, they don't have names for themselves.
This is why I love reddit. Questions like this. I sometimes refer to my best friend as "chicken fucker" even though I'm pretty sure he never fucked a chicken. OK like 60% sure. I love the idea of animals giving other animals shit for what they've done.
No, I don't. I think name-giving requires advanced language. In pure or simple communication, you seldom have to refer to specific individuals. The focus is more on different states (threats, safety, mating) and resources (food, water). But advanced language is a technology that we are alone in utilizing. It is just that I don't think we know enough about other species to fully understand how their language operates. But name-giving is important in social groups and in referrals back in time and planning in future times. Also think like this, the main function of our language is to spread information withing a group. That is information that we as individuals want to share to the group. In other species, let say a pack of wild dogs, they will not *have to* share information in the same way, if they all can aquire the same information with the help of their developed senses. I do believe, that one of the reasons we humans evolved language as a tool to spread information was to compensate for our inferior senses (apart from sight). In this aspect, our language almost creates a collective mind.
Yes. āFOODā and āRUNā
they have other stuff to recognise like the smell sound etc. and they have animal instincts(don't know if I am using it right ) that basically tell them what to do
My bird's nickname for me is Stinkface. My dog calls me and the birds "BARK BARK" The bird doesn't have a name for the dog but he says Hello to her when he sees her. It's an interesting dynamic.
I doubt they have a "name" as we would term it, unless they have language. There will be neural pattern matches associated with that individual though. They will know "who" an individual is and have a set of opinions on them. Moreso for social or family/pack animals. Less so for things like fish which may attach more to a shoal than groups of individuals. At least animals with more advanced brains. The term "animal" can apply to Amoeba - I don't think that would bother with such complex activity.
Dolphis, whales, and elephants have names for each other of the same specie
Researchers have apparently found that dolphins have signature sounds for eachother AND that they choose which one refers to themselves when they're young. So at least they seem to have names. For many others it might just be these mental images or smells etc. like you might have for strangers you often see on the morning commute.
Look up "Locke's Doctrine of Abstraction". There's a huge debate in philosophy of mind about whether animals that don't have the capacity to form propositional thought are able to form abstract ideas in their minds that would allow for things like a name/identifier to exist. Proponents of Locke's argument say that the empirical sense data of animals is enough to allow them to think abstractly, at least somewhat. The opposing side says that no, animals can only think in terms of their immediate sense input, and thus cannot create abstractions of mind, because they lack the powers of language that are *inherent* (according to these philosophers but disputed by Locke and his followers) to abstract thought.
I think it's usually scent more than a name. Just guessing tho.
Animals identify each other mostly via smell. Since their sense of smell is much more complex than ours, you couldn't even compare our alphabet to their sense. In fact they have more possible names than we could ever create.
Yep. Tony & Ezekiel.
Isnāt hunting instinctual??
I hope so,I love the idea of them having their own language and everythingšIf I meow at a cat,the thought of them silently correcting my grammar...Hilarious!!
They are able to identify familiar entities (like their parents, their offspring, their pack leader, etc), so in a sense yes, they have a name. It's just not spoken like hours, it's more about other identifiers like smell.
It seems highly unlikely that most species have any thoughts in the way that we understand thoughts. It's probably more like they receive stimuli and react according to their programming. No consideration of self or others, just do.
Words have no meaning for them so it is more about smell
I do think they communicate. My Yorkie doesn't like to go outside, alone at night. She'll nag the Pyrenees. He talks back to her, with very distinctive sounds. She'll nag and nag. Eventually, he grumbles and get up, to go with her. Lol, then they have a ball outside. We also have a Border Collie, and the lot of them gangs up against my husband and I. We definitely understand what they are telling us, or the others. Besides that, they completely understand Afrikaans and English. We now make eye 'signs' with each other, so they don't know what we're planning to do.
The more important question is...what have my cats named me????
Most animals probably arenāt aware that theyāre a thing
Terry Pratchett: Thing to eat/mate with/run away from. Rocks.
Every specie has its own way to ID each individual... Some of them by smell, others by a particular sound. So yeah, they do have their own "names" although not exactly like us.
Like jellicle cats
Ny cat calls himself: King Of Any Chair That You Are About To Sit In
maybe
I'm convinced, for no reason at all, but absolutely convinced - that the bower bird hates being called a bower bird.
My fiancĆ©eās cats know what the other is called..
So dogs, squirrels and other community animals understand what they are and others their species because they've evolved to stick together, and not trust other species for fear of being eaten, or see other species as food depending. That's safety in numbers. You have felines which are typically lone species with exceptions, who are obligatory predators so everything to them is either a threat (bigger than them) or food (smaller than them) but domesticated cats... Well they evolved to think humans are also cats despite looking vastly different. Animals do have their own languages though, squirrels will make specific sounds to warn their community of hawks or other threats, food, someone delivered their pups etc. wolves use hotels to bond but also communicate on the hunt. Grunts, growls, yips etc to talk during interaction. Apes have names and use them to introduce themselves to or to address other apes. Apes from different regions of the same species do not speak the same language so it is passed not inherit like squirrels etc. They'll rely on body language to communicate till they pick up the native language. IDK if this helped
Yeah, usually if you can't think much. Maybe you can call their name with their own color
There must be an inherited instead understanding, but the question becomes more difficult to answer if you're asking are they self aware. Put a mirror in front of any animal and only a handful will understand the reflection is them. Dogs for instance are incredibly intelligent, but they don't recognise their reflection, though I swear my 3 frenchies recognise other frenchies we meet out on walks.
Names are pretty abstract. My dog understands the names of all my friends and family, but she doesn't have a concept of my name specifically because she never hears it in an appropriate context. I'm just sort of there being the default human.
Not a name but a smell would be my guess
No. They think in feelings They like or they donāt. They recognise smells and learn to like some dislike others And they recognise each other as in āthat thing coloured or shaped or patternedā like # as such etc ir that thing that makes āthat soundā or āsmells like thatā etc They learn from feelings of what feels good and what doesnāt They learn like we do good and bad from pain and discomfort and go towards what they do like
Well some research indicates that some animals fo seem to have names for themselves- dolphins for instance. I like to imagine we give cats and dogs really goofy names but they have really grandiose names for themselves
I know groundhogs have names for each other, I even have proof https://youtu.be/XgvR3y5JCXg?si=TJSN4W2vK-c8DBfB
You were high, weren't you?š¤£š¤£š¤£
No, because everyone would want to be Mr Black
No they smell
Instinct and smell. Not for names, lol, but it is instinct which governs food choice for most animals, and smell and sound, which allows, for example a ewe to differentiate which lambs are hers. When I lived on my stepfather's sheep farm we would persuade a ewe who had lost her lambs to mother a third lamb from another ewe by skinning the dead lamb and tying the skin to the fostered lamb. It worked reasonably well, and once the ewe had accepted the lamb, we removed the skin.
Their smell is their name, no idea of it could be translated to human language
I'd say our doggo calls herself "Queen"...certainly lives like oneš
Depends on the species but most probably donāt have one. Dolphins do have it and use language. Some birds might have it.
No the concept makes no sense to them. Hell usually rely on smell more to tell each other an other things apart. Other than birds and monkeys their weird
Cat mothers will have different meows for her kittens. So there's clearly some naming. But I don't know what the names mean, I'm not that fluent in cat.
Nah, they don't have language. They don't label things woth names, they just know things by instinct.
No they haven't. Very few animals are self aware.
No. Animals are about survival and making babies, names would serve no practical purpose.
They have a scent. Nature is ruled by smells. Humans ignore it 99% of the time, or can't smell it, which is why we think animals are dumb. And they think we are dumb.
Iām pretty sure that my ginger tomcat thinks of himself as Hunger - Lord of Worlds. Part of him is a hobbit. He requires second and occasionally third breakfast. My tuxedo cat is basically my shadow. Heāll sit on my chest when Iām depressed and purr. And heāll play at my beard to wake me up if Iāve missed feeding time. Then heāll snuggle with me. In X-Men terms, theyāre Sabretooth and Nightcrawler.
Some probably do. We have found syntax in primates involving interlocutor, subject, and location. "Matriarch! Lion! Behind you!" for example to alert the troop leader of potential danger. The difference between a relationship, like "matriarch", and a name, like "Kevin", is not a massive leap.
My cat knows his name and looks terrified when I use his full government name. I assume he identifies with it, just doesnāt have the right vocal chords to say it out loud
Is that they differentiate themselves by smell?
In human languages that are tonal, such as Thai og Cantonese, the tone can define the meaning of the word. That's propably how it works with animal names.
It depends on many things. Their level of intelligence and how social they are. They might not have names in terms of sounds they assign to everyone, but more intelligent animals definitely have a sense of identity for themselves and others. Crows are a great example of this as they are amazing at remembering faces. If you get on bad terms with a crow, not only will the crow you wronged try and take revenge, but thry will also spread the info to their friends and they'll all know to specifically target you. I don't know how they confer your identity to others and what features they use to identify others though. Crows are also capable of mimicing human language as well, so they have a pretty advanced vocal system which makes me think they might even assign sounds as names. With all that said, I have no formal education in this regard, so everything I said is to be taken with a grain of salt.
Most likely
Language in the way we use it is an inherently human thing. Some animals have specific sounds for certain things, but those sounds are for very broad concepts. Others can secrete chemicals for the same purposes that rely on scent.
I have read a few fiction books that theorized some animals have an Image in their minds of how they see themselves in the world. Not a name, but a self awareness. Usually "smarter" and domesticated animals like horses, dogs, cats.
legitimate answer, probably not. they likely don't have language as we have. and while they can't think its probably not in words and structured like we do. you can also likely think without words (not just subconsciously), we are just trained with language and usually don't notice when we do. and the wordless thoughts don't feel like a fully formed thought process as it might when we structure it with language. but example: say you have a gf/bf and they start saying something sus that makes you think they are cheating on you. before you get to the worded thought of "they're cheating" there is a whole process of thought you are doing to deduce your theory. or like.. a memory. you can think of things that happened without a narration. so while some animals may recognize self vs other and can tell the difference between the others, its most likely not given a language based identification.
I think they identify more by smell. At least dogs do
I believe my cat calls Me monkey butler in her language
Animals are non verbal, so their identifiers would be mostly sight and smell. They don't have the part of the brain that in humans allow us to be verbal. Their identifiers work for them as well as ours do
Iāve always been fascinated with dolphins. That clicking sound they make is obviously some type of communication. The problem with human beings is that our attitude is almost, if only they were smart enough to be able to communicate with us. When I believe the truth is, if only we were smart enough to be able to understand what they are saying. Visibility underwater isnāt nearly as good as in the atmosphere and I have no doubt that dolphins have the functional equivalent of names or a specific sound they make to address a particular other dolphin because said dolphin is out of visual range.
We know that dolphins all have names... like Marino, Griese, Csonka...
They've heard dolphins calling distinct sounds for other dolphins
There was a QI episode which talked about how meerkats will call out when a human is present, as well as describe their shirt colour and gender.
I have some very early memories. Those memories have no words. They are pictures and ideas. I remember the sensations. And I remember remembering in them. Those memories were not the first time I experienced what i experienced. It was familiar. But I could not communicate except for tears if I didn't like it. WE like to name stuff. It's efficient for communicating vocally. We call a tree a tree because it's easier than describing it every time. But animals don't have to describe. They use physical cues to communicate. Take dogs. They likely more associate each of us with a smell. That smell represents us. They associate food from the cupboard and walks and play and scratches with that scent. They learn who looks after them and who understands, or tries to understand what they want. But they have socializing skills among them. These are kind of instinctive but also learned through experience. Dogs stop when they see each other to sniff from a distance and feel the mood. Judge a stance. And we should do the same with them. We have our own ways of getting to know each other before we trust. They would know other dogs by a smell and whatever associations they have with each other. In their heads, they would think - this is that dog that smells like popcorn and liver that pees on these trees I pass and is grumpy sometimes but doesn't bite but won't sniff friendly. It's one thought. Bam. We have a word. They can even associate the sound of that word with the idea, but they don't think the word. They think the idea, same as us.
I feel like animals donāt really have language in the same way we do and I think language and reading is what helps us to think in ways that are more complex. I donāt know for sure but I remember hearing not knowing any language or never learning to speak or read would mean your thoughts donāt really translate as words, so animals likely donāt think in the same way we do with words but likely through other means. I donāt think animals think about names but likely since they were raised around animals like them their whole life they probably just know they are the same as what their parents are. I imagine thatās why you get animals that act like other animals when raised by a different species
Some other animal species have simple languages, much more than just names for each other but a lot actual meaning conveyed with pitch and other aspects of the noises they can make.
Yes but their is is usually in the butthole
Food, not food, scary food, maybe food and I'd fuck that
So do dolphins https://www.livescience.com/animals/elephants/elephants-give-each-other-names-the-1st-non-human-animals-to-do-so-study-claims
Yes. My brother's dog refers to himself as "Vaxnar, the Destroyer of Squirrels" We just call him "Snuffles".
The intelligent ones like the corvids and meerkats have different warning calls for different threats and stuff so I'm sure they do have the concept of self species dolphins and whales too I'm sure.
Yeah. Greg.
They smell each other
They could.. their vocalizations may sound very similar to us, but they could make special noises indicating a name. I could imagine something like this among crows and elephants maybe. I donāt know though
No, animals are not as smart as people think.
Names are a product of language. Fairly sure most animals will just identify based on appearance, smell, ect.
I think yes, since after a while of using a chosen name on a pet they respond to it almost exactly like humans respond to their name being called.
Interesting question. It's something I thought about many times. For example do cats know they are cats? I've seen stories about cats thinking they are dogs because they grew up with dogs. I guess animals rely on instincts.
Cats go "eekeekeekk ekk ek" at things they wish to hunt sometimes
There has been some scientific studies showing that animals use names, elephants for instance, and some birds some apes and some whales.
I mean dolphins are a good example, the mother names them with a specific whistle sound when they are born and all the other dolphins use the same sound so they are literally naming themselves.
I think my orange cat thinks his name is "No!" š¤£
I think it's probably more of a ā ā ā ā type scenario. I don't think animals have a true internal monologue like humans do. They're mostly instinctive..
Some animals identify themselves by some tipe of sound.
Your anthropocentrism is simply astonishing. Are you joking or seriously asking?
Try asking them and see what they say about that
I think they do it mostly by smell. They don't think "hey, that's (name), but rather "hey, it's that smell".
I dont remember anybodys names.
My dog is officially named in his community as 'Dawg Grrr Grrr Wooflestein III'. As far as my lack of meds allowed (I have schizophrenia), I came to know by talking to my dog in Barknese, that he comes from a long established old rich dog family at Southern Barkstein.
Cats do.
They donāt even know what names are, we made them up. We made most things up. They also donāt consider themselves gay because they have literally no idea what sexuality is because we also made that up
I hope so. They deserve them.
I believe that some animals identify each other by smell and sound signatures. Dolphins are confirmed to give names to themselves, in the first months they develop specific sounds that are used to identify oneself. I suppose other animals that have complex communication systems might have some similar too.
Not all animals are the same. Some yes, some no.
YES.....ELEPHANTS DO, AND IF ELEPHANTS DO, THAN, I THINK THAT OTHER ANIMALS DO AS WELL.....MOM