Ant Surgeons and Dolphin Midwives: Human-Like Behaviors You Didn’t Know Animals Share

Let me start by saying this: ants are performing surgeries. SURGERIES. On each other. And not like "bite-the-bullet and hope it heals" survival stuff, we’re talking battlefield-level triage with cleaning, wound-tending, and antimicrobial treatments.

Apparently, the species Megaponera analis (a type of African ant) tends to its wounded with more care than some of us give houseplants. Injured ants are carried back to the nest where others carefully lick their wounds to clean them. This saliva isn’t just spit, it contains antimicrobial compounds that drastically reduce infection. Without this care, injured ants die about 80% of the time. With it? Their odds improve dramatically. Basically: they have tiny EMTs on call.

And that’s just the beginning. Turns out, the animal kingdom is filled with wild, beautiful behaviors that echo our own. Here are just a few that make you go, "Wait, they do what now?"

Elephants Hold Grief Rituals

Elephants don’t just mourn. They remember. When an elephant dies, their family often stays by the body for days. They touch the bones with their trunks, swaying gently. Some have been seen returning to the same spot years later to revisit remains. There’s even evidence of them becoming quiet, withdrawn, or refusing food after a loss; grief, in every sense of the word.

It’s not just sadness. It’s remembrance. It’s ritual. It’s heartbreak that looks achingly familiar.

What’s especially haunting is how often elephants grieve not only members of their own family, but other elephants as well. It speaks to a collective memory, a shared understanding of life and death. They’ve even been seen helping wounded animals, or showing distress near dying individuals. If that isn’t empathy, what is?

Dolphins Assist Each Other During Birth

Yes, dolphins have midwives. When a dolphin is giving birth, another female (usually an older one) will swim beside her, helping guide the baby to the surface for its first breath. It’s instinctive and communal. Some form circles around the mother to protect her from predators while she labors. It’s one of those moments that feels ancient and sacred.

This behavior isn’t just documented in captivity, it's been observed in the wild, too. Scientists refer to it as alloparenting, and it’s a sign of advanced social intelligence. These birthing assistants aren’t just standing by; they’re actively participating in another dolphin’s survival.

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but dolphin doulas exist. And they’re surprisingly good at their job.

Crows Use Tools—and Teach Each Other

Crows aren’t just smart. They’re social learners. In the wild, they’ve been seen using twigs to poke out grubs, shaping leaves into scoops, and even bending wires into hooks. What’s wild is how they teach each other. Juvenile crows will watch their elders and mimic their tool use. It’s not instinct, it’s culture.

Some scientists compare their cognition to that of a 5-year-old child. And honestly, some of those crows could probably outsmart me before fully waking up in the morning.

New Caledonian crows are the gold standard here. They’re known to refine tools over time, improving the design, which is a type of innovation that was once thought to be uniquely human. Even more amazing? If a crow discovers a better way to get food, others pick it up quickly. That's intergenerational knowledge transfer.

Rats Laugh When Tickled

This one is hilarious and also weirdly adorable: rats laugh. Researchers found that when rats are tickled, they emit high-frequency giggles you can’t hear without special equipment. And they come back for more. They chase the researcher’s hand like it’s a game.

Not only does this prove rats are playful, it shows they seek joy. And play is a sign of complex emotional life.

Rats also exhibit empathy. In some studies, rats have been shown to forgo a treat in order to help a trapped companion. They’ll free their fellow rat, then go for the food. That’s empathy. That’s moral decision-making. That’s wild.

Apes Learn Language—and Use It to Joke

We all know about Koko the gorilla who learned sign language, or Kanzi the bonobo who used lexigrams to communicate. But here’s the fun part: they didn’t just label things. They expressed feelings. Asked for favorite snacks. Even made jokes.

One of Koko’s favorite pranks? Telling her caretakers the wrong answer, then laughing.

Debates continue about whether this counts as "real" language. But either way, they’re communicating with intention, and humor. When Kanzi pointed to lexigrams to ask for things he liked, or even showed frustration, it revealed a level of self-awareness that blurs the human-animal line more than we’d like to admit.

Some researchers believe apes even have a theory of mind, the ability to imagine what another individual is thinking. That’s something once thought to be the foundation of human consciousness.

Octopuses Solve Puzzles, Decorate, and Escape Like Houdini

Octopuses aren’t just smart, they’re practically alien. These eight-armed geniuses have shown the ability to solve mazes, unscrew jars, mimic other species, and even decorate their dens with rocks and shells (scientists jokingly call this “octopus interior design”).

They can also recognize individual humans and remember who’s kind and who’s annoying. One octopus in a research lab reportedly squirted water at a specific scientist it didn’t like. Repeatedly.

And their escape skills? Legendary. There are documented cases of octopuses slipping out of their tanks, crawling across lab floors, and sneaking into neighboring tanks, for a snack or just because they could.

Bees Vote to Make Group Decisions

Bees are tiny little democrats (with a small “d”). When a hive needs to relocate, scout bees will explore multiple sites and return to perform a “waggle dance” to advertise their find. The more compelling the dance, the more other bees will go check it out.

Eventually, the swarm reaches consensus, not by force, but by information-sharing and collective decision-making. It’s a literal buzz-worthy version of group voting.

This kind of behavior shows us that even insects can cooperate, weigh options, and make collective decisions that benefit the whole community.

The Line Between Us and Them Is Thinner Than We Think

We grow up thinking humans are this wildly unique species set apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. But when you look close? You start to see reflections. Mourning. Teaching. Healing. Protecting. Laughing. Even lying.

We’re not alone in our complexity. We’re part of a vast, deeply intelligent ecosystem that’s been communicating, caregiving, and evolving for millions of years. Maybe animals aren’t becoming more like us. Maybe we’re just starting to notice how alike we’ve always been.

And maybe that awareness is what changes us most.

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• Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal
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Let me know what animal behavior has surprised you the most, and if your cat secretly runs a neurology clinic at night.