Laughing Animals

We’re not alone. Animals have a sense of humor too. It’s true. Their laughter is often much more subtle than ours, but a lot of animals truly do get a kick out of the world around them.

Charles Darwin first recorded the idea that animals laugh or have a sense of humor. He noticed that monkeys made excited and happy noises when they were pleased, much like humans do. This notion has led researchers and scientists to study this phenomenon.

The Pant
If you’ve ever looked at a dog and wondered whether or not it was smiling at you, you’re not alone. Studies have revealed that the panting behavior of dogs engaged in play is similar to our own laughter when we are finding something funny. But they’re not the only ones.

Chimpanzees also engage in panting behavior when they’re playing chase with one another. Very similar to a child giggling when you’re running after them. This type of play engages our laughing muscles, just as it does in chimps and dogs.

The Inaudible Sounds
Large mammals aren’t the only ones in on the joke, however. Rats and mice even have their own version of laughter. The sounds these rodents make are beyond our range of hearing, but with an amplifier, you can hear chirping noises as you tickle a rat (yes, the whole idea of tickling a rat sound pretty weird). But rats will become so absorbed in being tickled that when you stop, they’ll chase your hand, begging for more.

What are they laughing at?
Your dog may not think your Lady Gaga jokes are very funny, but it’s likely he or she doesn’t mind your goofy antics after coming home from the bar. As far as researchers know, an animal’s sense of humor is limited to engaging in physical play. But they do agree that if animals did like jokes, they would be ones of an obvious, slapstick kind, as this is the world’s most simplistic type of joke.