book1 unit5 after-class reading 1 : Animal Play

Probably everyone has seen baby animals such as kittens and puppies play. These young animals certainly seem to be having fun. They chase each other, tumble and wrestle, chase their tails, and play with objects such as balls and sticks. Anyone who has watched pandas as they tumble and play with one another can see that they are enjoying themselves.

Do all animals play? What is the purpose of their playing? These are some questions that scientists ask. In order to answer these questions, we must first agree on a definition of play.  This is difficult, since even animal scientists do not agree on a definition and the verb to play has many different meanings.

For this discussion, we will use our common sense to decide what play is. From our experience, we can say that play is something that humans and animals do for fun. It often imitates serious and purposeful activities, but it doesn't achieve a serious goal. Of course, humans often play very seriously. Sports are examples of serious, elaborate play.

Why do animals play? The most important reason is probably to learn some of life's serious and important activities. Adult animals, for example, need to look for food, to fight, to look for a mate, and to get along with other animals of their kind. Young animals can practice these important life activities by playing. Through play, they can imitate hunting for food, fighting, and courting. They can learn how to control their movements, how to interact with their environments, and how to interact with other animals in their group.

Not all animals play. In fact, animal scientists tell us that only vertebrates play, and among them, primarily the higher vertebrates. For example, insects, fish, and reptiles do not play, but most mammals do, especially when they are young. In general, we can say that highly intelligent animals play more than less intelligent animals. In other words, the higher the intelligence of the animal, the more elaborate the play will be.

The chimpanzee, which is known to be the animal most closely related to humans, is the most intelligent of the nonhuman mammals. This primate plays in an elaborate, complicated way. Chimpanzees chase each other, wrestle, and invent a variety of games. Only humans play in a more complicated way. Other primates such as monkeys and gorillas also like to play, but not as much as chimpanzees do. Also, some other vertebrates such as dolphins are intelligent and play among themselves and with other animals including humans. For these intelligent animals, play is a way of having fun. But it is also a way to be creative and to interact with their environments in new ways. Perhaps human creativity in music, art, and science begins as a kind of play.

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activity
adult
closely
complicated
creative
creativity
definition
dolphin
elaborate
environment
gorilla
highly
hunt
imitate
insect
intelligence
interact
invent
kitten
mammal
mate
nonhuman
panda
primarily
primate
puppy
purposeful
reptile
tumble
vertebrate
wrestle

agree on
a variety of
common sense
get along with
have fun
in general
in other words