There's a subreddit where people share photos and videos that can reveal animal consciousness, intelligence, and emotion. And let me tell you, the evidence is pretty convincing.
Created in 2013, r/LikeUs has over 1.8 million members, and over the years, the online community has collected loads of interesting and heartwarming content. Whether we're talking about a chimp who has a really good memory or a German Shepherd looking for help after his family's shed had caught on fire, r/LikeUs has it all.
Continue scrolling and check out some of the subreddit's all-time most popular posts.
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Love Of A Mother
This is Scarlett. This occurred back in March 30, 1996. Unfortunately, one of the kittens got sick from a virus and died a month later, but the others all survived and were adopted. Scarlett lived on until 2008.
I remember this kitty family. Thank you for the update. Scarlett is the best mom.
Load More Replies...Actually Scarlett's eyes were swollen from the heat while rescuing her kittens, so she made sure per nose-bumps all of them were there and safe, once she got them out. She lived a long life with a loving owner
A cat's love, loyalty & determination is quite often unacknowledged by those not familiar with them. Once I got to understand them, they're under my skin.
Walked through flames 5 times.... this mama cat can do the impawsible! :3
As an introduction to the subreddit, one of its moderators u/gugulo, advises people to read "Are We in Anthropodenial?" by Dutch primatologist and ethologist, Frans de Waal.
"r/LikeUs is a place to gather and discuss evidence showing animal consciousness, intelligence, and emotion. [It] is not simply another version of r/aww. Posts that are cute but show little intelligent or emotional behavior do not belong here," another moderator, u/sydbobyd, explained.
She Barks To Call Him. He Comes, They Rub And Greet Each Other And They Go For A Walk
SO CUTE if my dog did that she would scare the cat
Load More Replies..."r/LikeUs is also not the place to post examples of animals (or inanimate objects) simply posing/dressing like a human or being personified. This seems to be a common and understandable confusion of the subreddit name, but our goal is not to show animals who just happen or are manipulated by humans to look human.
"This will always leave gray areas of course, but we hope that this may alleviate some of the confusion we've seen lately," the moderator said.
Parrot Offers Some Comforting Words
awwww lol. Mine senses when I'm having anxiety and she will get in my face look at me sideways and then make my favorite noise that she knows makes me laugh every time and then laughs with me and says "gooooood giiiiirl" and she's right, she is a good girl, or maybe she's telling me I'm a good girl for calming down lol. I love her, she's my best friend.
Don't fricking keep parrots as single pets, for God's sake! It's animal abuse.
Doggie Superstition
shoes and socks have the most human smell on them. the dog was probably getting the shoes out to smell you, and the longer your wife was gone the more her scent was receding so your dog needed more shoes to smell.
The moderators sort posts into 5 categories: 1) best content (think intelligent behavior, complex emotions, scientific articles, philosophy discussions), 2) good content (intentional behavior, unusual behavior, skillful behavior), 3) OK content (expressions, reactions, curiosity), 4) bad content (funny, cute, play), and 5) very bad content (misleading, fake, spam), and they clean up the subreddit accordingly. Needless to say, most of these posts belong at the top!
A Pig Named Lulu Saved Her Owner’s Life While The Owner Was Having A Heart Attack. The Pig Heard The Cries For Help, Forced Her Way Out Of The Yard And Ran Into The Road And ‘Played Dead’ To Stop The Traffic. A Driver Stopped And The Pig LED Him To The Trailer, He Heard The Woman And Called 911
but the pigs still die, no matter what... if you stop, they're dying for nothing. not saying you should stop, i support you, but it is a growing problem.
Load More Replies...Would you like to hear some stories about cows, chickens and all other sentient beings too? ;-)
Load More Replies...They Support Each Other
While all of these reaffirm how we underestimate vastly the emotional and logical intelligence in animals, Grey Parrots blow my mind. You may well know of Alex, the African Grey, who was studied for years as he learnt; primary colours, shapes textures, names. At one point, he looked at himself in a mirror and ASKED ‘what colour Alex?’ The implications are both heart enriching, and heartbreaking at the same time.
The arrogant way in which humans have mistreated sentient beings is devastating to consider
Load More Replies...Shame humans can't be like this. Parrots show more humanity to each other than we do sometimes.
Obviously not Americans! Apparently we don't care who has food to eat or a roof over their head or health-care as long as we get ours.
i read about this one parrot that was taught to the point where he had the same intelligence as a 5 year old child. he would tell jokes and everything, but it made me so sad when i read about his death, where he said to his owner "good night. see you tommorow. i love you."
Yeah, that's Alex. And he said "be good", not goodnight.
Load More Replies...After years of taking care of the subreddit, moderators have learned a lot about animals themselves. "Mammals have a really good memory. Some orangutans learn how to fish, [and dogs can know] they're at the vet," the team writes. "Having such good memories means they remember their suffering. For instance, [some cows were recorded being happy for returning to pasture after a long winter."
Admiring Baby Like Us
sorry but i have to ask , are you a dog or a frog
Load More Replies...Oh I love Orangutangs. I'm scared of chimps, they can seem so humanly violent. Orangutangs are peaceful.
Also gorillas. Mountain gorillas especially are very peaceful and social
Load More Replies...Orangutans are really smart. Our fellow apes are known to do things like this. For example, the chimpanzee Washoe was in a study teaching her sign language. Washoe had a baby who sadly died (I forget if it was stillborn or died soon after). One of Washoe's caregivers miscarried and was absent for a few days, and when she came back, Washoe was mad bc she missed her, but when the caregiver explained that her baby died, they cried together.
This got me right in all the feels. I remember being pregnant and visiting our zoo in Seattle. There was a chimpanzee that was just fascinated by me and I visited several times, always interacting with him. It got more interesting when my hubby went to touch me- the chimp would freak out & become very upset. Now, looking back, these animals in zoo's just makes me sad.
David, I am seriously sorry to hear that. It is disgusting what men have to go through to be trusted with children (yes, feminists, men experience inequality too). Sure, there are predators but they are not only male. There are so many things like that that people just ignore whilst bleating on about "equality" etc.
Load More Replies...What Are You Doing There?
This Is How A Baby Gorilla And A Baby Human React To A Cold Stethoscope
Humans do tend to forget that we belong to the animal kingdom (it's an awesome kingdom to belong to) and are primates. This picture definitely shows the similarities between us and our primate cousins.
Load More Replies..."Emotionally, mammals are very developed, like us. They share with us many of our feelings, such as fear and love. Their emotions can be every bit as troubling as ours. They can be depressed so much, they won't even eat!"
They Better Have Regular Play Dates From Here On Out
My dog Shilo is a rescue dog. He and his 4 brothers and mother were found on the side of the road. They were all rescued and a year later we had family reunion for the puppy’s first birthday. It was brilliant. They all remembered each other and played with each other an their mother Lucy was going around fussing over them and mothering them. It was so lovely. This is a photo of the family reunion. Shilo is the 3rd from the left. IMG_0819-2...1563d3.jpg
I love that you had a family reunion for them, that's so nice ^-^
Load More Replies...My Australian Cattle Dog did the same, found her sister at the park.
My husband (at the time) ran into a couple with a beagle that looked like our beagle, learned they were litter sibs, we set up a playdate and omg it was amazing watching them recognize, weep, and then play together...we instantly had to all become friends to keep the play dates going
Just Two Curious Kids
Instinctive response: they both show that they are not threatening.
Load More Replies...“Only for my own child, not a bunch of weird ass strangers.”
Load More Replies...Neighbor's Corgi Was Sneaking Onto Her Property At Night And Riding Her Pony
Growing up, we had a Pygmy goat (Tubby) who used to get up on his house, then our horse (Bonnie) would walk over to the house and let him jump on her back. She’d then walk over to the gate for Tubby to jump over. Tubby would then come headbutt my parent’s bedroom wall until they got up and fed them both, lol. They had a whole system worked out!
"Even our distant relatives, the cetaceans are very aware and very playful fellows. [One] Humpback Whale, for instance, realizes she's been saved from a fishing net and lets her rescuers know she is thankful," the moderators recalled some of the best content.
Orangutan
I live in San Diego, And I remember this guy, he's my favorite. His name is Ken Allen, but unfortunately, he passed in 2000
"Yeah! Eat s--t, you overfed monkey!" The effort that went into finding that other ape...
BLESS YOU!!!!!! Omg I've been wandering around BP with no freaking clue as to what TIL was. Thank you!
Load More Replies...Marvelous picture, especially considering the fact he's locked up in a closed environment being observed by other beings that are free to come and go. Says it all.
Dog Intentionally Fake Coughs To Get More Attention, If This Isn’t Intelligent Behaviour I Don’t Know What Is
They're cute but they shed a ton if you have a lab you know what i mean especially a black lab
Load More Replies...In my previous riding school there was a horse, who faked lameness. Got caught, when he forgot which leg it was, and started limping with a leg, currently best visible.
My friends dog has a slight limp. SLIGHT. When I come over, she drags her a**e, like both her legs are broken, right to my feet, then drop onto her back and howl. She loves the attention I give her and now it's become the routine. I'm the only person she does this to.
My gsd Cyrus would fake cough and lay down seeking comfort. He would also jump on the couch and look sick. I would "comfort" him. If I left the room he would sit up, pant, and smile. He would lay back on the couch if he heard me coming back. I'm easily trained.
I can't believe this happened to someone else. My first dog developed kennel cough and was treated for it. One month or so after the infection was gone, she started "coughing" again. Paid for another exam and the test only to be told she was scamming me. Never understood why because she had so much attention and love from anyone who knew her. She was a smart, well behaved dog even with that long con.
Doesn't have to be intelligence, just pure association memory. He may have had a real cough once and learned that he got lot of attention that way. Just like giving your dog a treat when you teach it to give paw. Then it associate giving paw with a treat.
Silverback And His Son, Calmly Observe A Caterpillar
The video of this is cuter and funny https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbNzZOS7FDc
They are one of my fav dad/son couple, check out some of their videos. So sweet.
"Non-mammal animals on the other hand appear to be quite different from us, but birds always find ways to puzzle us. Apparently, they like to have fun! The crow is probably the smartest bird there is! Birds, in general, are very aware of what their peers are doing."
The moderators say that evidence of animals' consciousness is everywhere! So every time you find some, remember to share it with them.
He's Doing The Best He Can
"Look for the..." aaaah wrong note! "Bear necessities" damn i pawed loads of keys together...
"He plays piano very poorly... but it stops him from destroying things." (If anyone gets this reference I will be proud)
This Is Dawn The Orangutan. She Saw Zoo Workers Cleaning Off After A Shift. So Dawn Stole A Cloth And Now She Cleans Off Everyday Too
I just realised that most of these posts are monkeys acting EXACTLY like humans
Well we are related to each other. So it definitely makes sense.
Load More Replies...Pikin, A Gorilla Rescued From The Bushmeat Trade, Is Comforted By Her Caretaker Appolinaire On The Way To A Forest Sanctuary
I honestly have no words that would do this picture justice. Pure love is written on both their faces.
That's what I thought too! Sounds posh to me, very nice name!
Load More Replies..."Bushmeat trade?" That sounds awful. She looks so grateful to be rescued!
“Bushmeat trade”?! FFS, why? What on earth would compel a human to want to eat gorilla or lion, or other “exotics”, many of which are endangered?
Questions about animal consciousness — especially, which animals have consciousness and what (if anything) that consciousness might be like — are both scientific and philosophical. They are scientific because answering them requires gathering information using scientific techniques and they are philosophical because progress will ultimately require interdisciplinary work by philosophers willing to engage with the empirical details of animal biology, as well as scientists who are sensitive to the philosophical complexities of the issue.
Analyzing this topic often raises more questions than it answers, but it would be of little interest if it were otherwise.
Rats Are Very Empathetic
People have a lot to learn from rats... From all animals to be honest :/
Gosh and we just abuse the life out of them for science.. I know we need a way to test things but I'm heartbroken that animals are chosen to suffer.
Where do they get the white mice/rats? I have never seen it anywhere but in an experiment
Different animal lines (that's how we call them in germany) are specifically bread for research purposes. They come in all different colours. For some reason it's always the white ones that make it onto the covers.
Load More Replies...Legit thought this was a rat with a tiny camera tripod and a container of powdered donuts.
This is why I have a big problem with people calling nasty people 'rats'. Rats are far more empathetic and helpful than some shitty human
Rats make amazing pets. They’re really affectionate; if I start crying while I’m holding one of my rats they will try to kiss me and dry my tears. They are also the most intelligent and cleanest small animals. They make awesome pets!
What is really sick is humans having to make such experiences on rats in captivity just to discover that this empathy we lack so much is very common among all other species.
Doggo Trying To Protect Owner From Being Burned
U can say that again. That’s why I get so riled up about animal abusers!
same i can't stand living in a neighborhood of Muslims usually i don't have anything have a prob. with them but every time she gets out they don't return her(lived there with her 4yrs.) and they know she's my dog they kick her yell at her scare the heck out of her. She is so scared of yelling now i can raise my voice a little bit and she hides
Load More Replies...The dog thinks the human is a big dumb kid. "No, guy, that'd burn you.
I didn't think of it that way - you are probably right. My doggos would probably be like that if I did that.
Load More Replies...You Should Come Out Here The Sun Is Nice Charles
For many philosophers, the topic of animal consciousness is no longer only of peripheral interest; there is increasing interest in animal cognition from a range of philosophical perspectives, including ethics, philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of science.
Philosophers working in all of these areas are increasingly attentive to the particular details of scientific theory, methods, and results.
Many scientists and philosophers believe that the groundwork has been laid for addressing at least some of the questions about animal consciousness in a philosophically sophisticated yet empirically tractable way. However, there are critics from both sides: on the one hand are those who still think that subjective phenomena are beyond the pale of scientific research, and on the other are those who think that science and philosophy have not moved far enough or fast enough to recognize animal consciousness. And the arguments on both sides are by no means exhausted.
This Bear Flopping Into A Pool
Momma Sea Otter Making Sure Her Kid Is Comfy
fun, heart-melting fact: Otters hold feet when they sleep (as they sleep floating belly-up in the water) to make sure their partners don't float away :)
Load More Replies...Dog Riding The Train On Two Legs
Dog Learns To Talk By Using Buttons That Have Different Words, Actively Building Sentences By Herself
Oh, I recognize that. Hunger4 words on instagram. That smart doggo is Stella. :D
Momma Cat Bringing Fish For Kitten
yes I see the same thing, which makes it even more adorable.
Load More Replies...During the Covid lockdown we had two litters of kittens (all got excellent homes) because elective surgeries were cancelled. Our mom cat was never a hunter but with each litter she would bring in a dead mouse for the kittens to see. One morning I work hearing my husband say " Don't move! There are four kittens and a dead mouse on the bed." Once the kittens began eating food she quit hunting.
We once had our female cat come home pregnant. After the kittens were born ,our male cat ,who wasn't the father of our kittens would go out at night and come back with a mouse. He put it in the nest and the next day I found a half eaten mouse in the nest. He did this every night, sometimes it was a mouse,sometimes a bird and one time he brought a frog home.
Don't worry there aren't many species of fish that actively parent their offspring.
Load More Replies...Showing Affection For Mother
Holding the kid’s leg—-the monkey equivalent of a child leash. Kid: look at me, Mama! I’m gonna climb up here! Mom: Nope, nope, nope. Come on over here instead, Sweetie. That’s it. Love you baby. Kid: Love you too Mama.
Cow Experimenting With Condensation
"blazin'.... just kidding it's from my Mac n' cheese" (first thing that came to mind)
Blazin.... JuST kidding it's from my mACARONI AND CHEE-EEEESE
Load More Replies...Bird Uses His Own Feather For Some Satisfying Head Scritches
Chimpanzees and capuchin monkeys are considered to be in an early stage of the stone age.
Load More Replies...Shedd Aquarium's Penguins Continue Exploring The Empty Aquarium During Its Closure
I love that some aquariums and zoos did this. The animals were actually missing having human spectators and were getting bored. So they let animals (and shelter dogs, etc) walk around and check out the other animals and fish. Win win for everyone.
Honestly, that's one reason I don't mind zoos. We think we go to see the animals, they think we come for them to watch. You know they probably talk about us.
Load More Replies...In a well run zoo, where every effort is made to give the animals as homelike an environment as possible, then the viewing is mutual, and the experience beneficial to both humans and animals.
I remember in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, theNew Orleans zoo was too unsafe to open to the public, so they asked the National Guard to come visit the animals, as they were missing the humans.
Curious Cows Investigate A Strange Visitor In Their Field
Cows are exceptionally curious, and very easily distracted. Every cow expression means "What's that?" on a spectrum between excited curiosity, and concerned fear.
i rem here in ireland when younger,we used lay out in a field,with our eyes closed---set our watches to five mins--then open our eyes and every cow in the field would be looking right down at us----they also love music
Wow! So cool...I never knew how inquisitive cows are.
Load More Replies...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHmskwqCCQ&ab_channel=CalebHudnall
White Rhino Calf Chases Conservation Vets Away After Waking Up And Thinking They Were Hurting Her
Poor baby must’ve thought they were poachers trying to cut Mama’s horn off, like he’s already seen happen way too many times already in his short life.
Some places do that to keep poachers from killing the Rhino for its horn. If it had no horn then it is worth anything to poachers therefore they don kill them.
Load More Replies...Orangutan Couple Walking In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
IM SHOWING THIS TO MY MAN!!!!! IF A ORANGUTAN CAN HOLD HIS GIRL HAND IN THE STREETS SO CAN HE!!!! LMAO J/K
Orangutans are really smart. They probably saw humans walking and a couple and decided to copy them.
Load More Replies...Watching Her Puppies
it's just an incubator. breeders will use it to keep newborn puppies warm. it's often used by farmers for baby chicks.
Load More Replies...Banana Time With The Little One
You know how with babies, you sometimes puff right onto their bellies to make them laugh? (Not sure which English word to use here, please forgive me if it’s the wrong one.) I saw a chimpanzee do that with her baby in a zoo once. The baby chimpanzee laughed as did the mother, and then she puffed on it again, and flailed her arms around in a funny manner, and puffed again. That hit me hard. I always thought of animals as sensible beings, but that was not something I would have expected. There was no difference to the joy and affection of a human mother at all.
It's so massively arrogant of some humans to think animals have fewer emotions or less intelligence than we do. They have their own methods of communication, they play, they feel pain, just like us. We're the most unpleasant and dangerous species on this planet, and the most undeserving of the right to life based on our history of destruction.
The sad thing is that people will know this and it won’t even give them the slightest cognitive dissonance or uncomfortable feeling about the active harm they cause and could easily stop causing to a multitude of species. They just think “oh that’s sad” and keep their same animal-harming lifestyle.
Load More Replies...I have a rescue dog, (Zak) he's just turned 14 - a couple of months ago getting home after our walk at about 9:30pm we were just getting into our apartment building & met my neighbour in the hall. She was just going to dispose of her rubbish & recycling. As I was unlocking my flat door she went out, Zak got up walked beside her to the bins, waited while she went back for her recycling & walked her back into the building with her. He was guarding her & knew she was making two trips
Search YouTube for ‘monkey sees a magic trick’...it will make your day AND get you thinking
Curiosity and compassion are not "human" emotions. Animals are thinking, feeling beings and humans should treat them as such.
Animals shouldn’t have to be “like humans” or “smart” for us to care about them. It is our job to protect all animals as residents of the planet. If you hurt animals or pay someone else to hurt them for you, you can’t pretend to care about animals. There is absolutely nothing we need animals for other than companionship and friendship, and the ecosystem. We don’t need to use them for anything.
Just what I needed today, better than the Karen customer threads. Those make my blood boil.
You know how with babies, you sometimes puff right onto their bellies to make them laugh? (Not sure which English word to use here, please forgive me if it’s the wrong one.) I saw a chimpanzee do that with her baby in a zoo once. The baby chimpanzee laughed as did the mother, and then she puffed on it again, and flailed her arms around in a funny manner, and puffed again. That hit me hard. I always thought of animals as sensible beings, but that was not something I would have expected. There was no difference to the joy and affection of a human mother at all.
It's so massively arrogant of some humans to think animals have fewer emotions or less intelligence than we do. They have their own methods of communication, they play, they feel pain, just like us. We're the most unpleasant and dangerous species on this planet, and the most undeserving of the right to life based on our history of destruction.
The sad thing is that people will know this and it won’t even give them the slightest cognitive dissonance or uncomfortable feeling about the active harm they cause and could easily stop causing to a multitude of species. They just think “oh that’s sad” and keep their same animal-harming lifestyle.
Load More Replies...I have a rescue dog, (Zak) he's just turned 14 - a couple of months ago getting home after our walk at about 9:30pm we were just getting into our apartment building & met my neighbour in the hall. She was just going to dispose of her rubbish & recycling. As I was unlocking my flat door she went out, Zak got up walked beside her to the bins, waited while she went back for her recycling & walked her back into the building with her. He was guarding her & knew she was making two trips
Search YouTube for ‘monkey sees a magic trick’...it will make your day AND get you thinking
Curiosity and compassion are not "human" emotions. Animals are thinking, feeling beings and humans should treat them as such.
Animals shouldn’t have to be “like humans” or “smart” for us to care about them. It is our job to protect all animals as residents of the planet. If you hurt animals or pay someone else to hurt them for you, you can’t pretend to care about animals. There is absolutely nothing we need animals for other than companionship and friendship, and the ecosystem. We don’t need to use them for anything.
Just what I needed today, better than the Karen customer threads. Those make my blood boil.
