Anderson James R
Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
Primates. 2020 Jan;61(1):1-7. doi: 10.1007/s10329-019-00786-1.
Although some definitions of thanatology-broadly definable as the study of death and dying-exclude nonhumans as subjects, recognition of the scientific value of studying how other species respond to sick, injured, dying and dead conspecifics appears to be growing. And whereas earlier literature was largely characterized by anecdotal descriptions and sometimes fanciful interpretations, we now see more rigorous and often quantitative analysis of various behaviors displayed towards conspecifics (and sometimes heterospecifics) at various stages of incapacitation, including death. Studies of social insects in particular have revealed chemical cues that trigger corpse management behaviors, as well as the adaptive value of these behaviors. More recent research on other taxonomic groups (including aquatic and avian species, and mammals) has sought to better document these animals' responses to the dying and dead, to identify influencing factors and underlying mechanisms, and to better understand the physiological, emotional, social and psychological significance of the phenomena observed. This special issue presents original short reports, reviews, and full research articles relating to these topics in New World monkeys, Old World monkeys and apes, as well as equids and proboscids. The range of events, data, hypotheses and proposals presented will hopefully enrich the field and stimulate further developments in comparative evolutionary thanatology.
虽然死亡学(广义上可定义为对死亡和濒死的研究)的一些定义将非人类排除在研究对象之外,但认识到研究其他物种如何应对生病、受伤、濒死和死亡的同种个体的科学价值的人似乎越来越多。早期的文献大多以轶事描述和有时充满幻想的解释为特征,而现在我们看到对在丧失能力的各个阶段(包括死亡)对同种个体(有时是异种个体)表现出的各种行为进行了更严格且通常是定量的分析。特别是对群居昆虫的研究揭示了触发尸体处理行为的化学信号,以及这些行为的适应性价值。最近对其他分类群体(包括水生和鸟类物种以及哺乳动物)的研究试图更好地记录这些动物对濒死和死亡个体的反应,确定影响因素和潜在机制,并更好地理解所观察到的现象的生理、情感、社会和心理意义。本期特刊发表了与新大陆猴、旧大陆猴、猿类以及马科动物和长鼻目动物这些主题相关的原创简短报告、综述和完整研究文章。所呈现的一系列事件、数据、假设和提议有望丰富该领域,并推动比较进化死亡学的进一步发展。