Alice White
Humanity has long noticed that some animals can cry like humans. Sometimes researchers understand the tears of a particular mammal, and sometimes it is almost impossible to determine the cause of such a reaction.
Beavers are interesting and entertaining animals that can be watched for an infinitely long time. Their habits and lifestyles are of interest to researchers, and even ordinary people are captivated by their findings and scientific results. Especially a lot of controversies arise around the question – can beavers know how to cry?
Basic information about this feature of these river animals comes from Belarus, where a large number of beavers live, and there is an opportunity to observe them in their natural habitat. According to Belarusian scientists, beavers cry with big tears. If these were just wet streaks on the face of an animal, they could be confused with streams of river water. But the large transparent tears that roll out of the beaver’s eyes are difficult to confuse with something or not notice.
Moreover, research scientists who have spent more than one month observing the life of beavers not only claim that these animals can cry like humans but also name a number of reasons that could cause such a reaction. According to one of them, the beaver can burst into tears, for example, if his home is completely destroyed. Seeing the injured mink, the animal comes to a state that people would call close to hysterics. A beaver can cry so enthusiastically while making moaning and screaming sounds, that he does not notice anything and anyone around him. At the same time, an uncountable number of large tears roll from its eyes.
Another reason, perhaps even more serious, maybe the loss of a cub by a beaver. According to the observations of researchers, after the death of a baby beaver, a mother can cry for several days, stop eating and lose weight to a deplorable state, which is up to two weeks in a state of isolation from the real world. Scientists argue that the behavior of the beaver in such a situation is very similar to that of humans, and cannot but evoke sympathy.
According to other scientists, animals, and beavers, in particular, do not know how to cry, since this process requires mental activity and activation of the area of the brain that is responsible for emotions. And the liquid that can be released from beaver eyes is most likely intended to moisturize the cornea of the eye. After all, beavers are river animals that spend quite a lot of time in the water and have natural moisture. And if a beaver is on land, and notices disturbances in its life – be it a destroyed house or lost offspring – its body replenishes the lack of moisture in the coat.
Which of the two statements is correct? Whether beavers can cry or not – at the moment continues to be one of the mysteries of nature. A person can only observe from the side and make assumptions.
