Animal suicide

Animal suicide is when an animal intentionally ends its own life through its actions.^[1] It implies a wide range of higher cognitive capacities that experts have been wary to ascribe to nonhuman animals such as a concept of self, death, and future intention. There is currently not enough empirical data on the subject for there to be a consensus among experts.^[2] For these reasons, the occurrence of animal suicide is controversial among academics.^[3]

While it has not been proven that non-human animals do, or even can, die by suicide, many animals behave in ways that may seem suicidal. There are anecdotes of animals refusing to eat in periods of grief or stress.^[4]^[5] Some social insects have been known to defend their colony by sacrificing themselves.^[6] Other animals are victims of parasites that are known to alter the behavior of their host to complete their lifecycle, which result in the host's death.^[7]

^ Courtet, Philippe, ed. (2016). Understanding Suicide. Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-26282-6. ISBN 978-3-319-26280-2.
^ Peña-Guzmán, David M. (2017-01-01). "Can nonhuman animals commit suicide?". Animal Sentience. 2 (20). doi:10.51291/2377-7478.1201. ISSN 2377-7478. S2CID 56436713.
^ Preti, Antonio (December 2007). "Suicide among Animals: A Review of Evidence". Psychological Reports. 101 (3): 831–848. doi:10.2466/pr0.101.3.831-848. ISSN 0033-2941. PMID 18232440. S2CID 40423383.
^ Preti, Antonio (January 2011). "Do Animals Commit Suicide? Does It Matter?". Crisis. 32 (1): 1–4. doi:10.1027/0227-5910/a000077. ISSN 0227-5910. PMID 21371964.
^ Abnormal behavior in animals. Michael W. Fox. Philadelphia: Saunders. 1968. ISBN 0-7216-3825-2. OCLC 301659067.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^ Shorter, J. R.; Rueppell, O. (February 2012). "A review on self-destructive defense behaviors in social insects". Insectes Sociaux. 59 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1007/s00040-011-0210-x. ISSN 0020-1812. S2CID 13257903.
^ Moore, Janice (April 1984). "Altered Behavioral Responses in Intermediate Hosts -- An Acanthoceptalan Parasite Strategy". The American Naturalist. 123 (4): 572–577. doi:10.1086/284224. ISSN 0003-0147. S2CID 86700440.

[1] Courtet, Philippe, ed. (2016). Understanding Suicide. Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-26282-6. ISBN 978-3-319-26280-2.

[2] Peña-Guzmán, David M. (2017-01-01). "Can nonhuman animals commit suicide?". Animal Sentience. 2 (20). doi:10.51291/2377-7478.1201. ISSN 2377-7478. S2CID 56436713.

[:0-3] Preti, Antonio (December 2007). "Suicide among Animals: A Review of Evidence". Psychological Reports. 101 (3): 831–848. doi:10.2466/pr0.101.3.831-848. ISSN 0033-2941. PMID 18232440. S2CID 40423383.

[4] Preti, Antonio (January 2011). "Do Animals Commit Suicide? Does It Matter?". Crisis. 32 (1): 1–4. doi:10.1027/0227-5910/a000077. ISSN 0227-5910. PMID 21371964.

[5] Abnormal behavior in animals. Michael W. Fox. Philadelphia: Saunders. 1968. ISBN 0-7216-3825-2. OCLC 301659067.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

[:2-6] Shorter, J. R.; Rueppell, O. (February 2012). "A review on self-destructive defense behaviors in social insects". Insectes Sociaux. 59 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1007/s00040-011-0210-x. ISSN 0020-1812. S2CID 13257903.

[7] Moore, Janice (April 1984). "Altered Behavioral Responses in Intermediate Hosts -- An Acanthoceptalan Parasite Strategy". The American Naturalist. 123 (4): 572–577. doi:10.1086/284224. ISSN 0003-0147. S2CID 86700440.

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