Do only humans commit suicide? Or is there any other species that takes its own life?

Question

Just wondering if we are the only ones who can get that depressed we want to die. I would never ever do that. My mate did on Christmas day because his girl split up with him and he couldnt see his son.

Answer 1

i am really sorry about your mate... the one thing that humans have is a messed up brain, it can get over whelmed by just one thing, making us blind to ever thing else that surrounds us no matter how good it is... and no i dont think there are any other animals in the world like that... animals live to eat and breed... we on the other hand live to feel love which to some extent is our downfall...

Answer 2

So sorry to hear about your friend. I have also lost a few friends due to suicide.
It does seem to be particular to humans; maybe because we are forced to see too much and know too much whereas animals have a much narrower point of view. Also our cultures dictate our views on suicide; look at some of the Asian cultures (in particular Japan) where suicide was considered noble and glorious. I don't think the idea of suicide bombers is all that new.
We are exposed to horror day after day; on the t.v. and in the newspapers and in our own daily lives. Obviously that has an effect on everyone, but some souls are more sensitive than others.
Animals get depressed too after their loved ones die. It can be the death of a relative, another animal friend or a human. Or after a forced separation. But they don't commit suicide. However, some die because they pine away and lose the will to live.
If an animal can retain its will to live, it will usually recover despite enormous odds.
The only animal I can think of right now that is generally thought to commit mass suicide is the lemming, and I can't tell you why they do that, although there are many theories.
I have heard of animals sacrificing their own lives to protect their off-spring or loved ones, but that is different from your meaning of suicide.
I am glad you have a positive attitude to life! Despite your loss, I hope you can enjoy all its ups and downs for a long time to come.

Answer 3

Someone in my town committed suicide as well, he was really young and its totally upsetting for the whole community.

I do believe animals get depressed, due to cruel conditions, abuse by their owners, and other reasons. So it is probably very likely that many do kill themselves. There was an article in the paper on Wednesday which talked about a bridge which had had lots of dogs committing suicide off it quite often. I think it was the Daily Mail.

Lemmings do not actually commit suicide. It is because they cross over rivers so often and make it to the other side, that when they see a ocean (which just looks like a river to them) they believe they can make it to the other side. Eventually, they drown.

Sorry to hear of your friend. Best wishes.

Answer 4

Sorry to hear about your friend.....I doubt Christmas will ever be the same for those who loved him.

As far as I know only lemmings end their lives on their own accord but hairworms lay eggs in grasshoppers and the pupae grow inside grasshoppers and pump them with a cocktail of chemicals that makes them commit suicide by leaping into water...Ideal really as the hairworms live in water.

also on holiday in Crete this year, 4 dogs jumped to their deaths from a balcony. Apparently it was soooo hot the heat was driving the dogs mad. When they looked over the balcony they could see the sea...They thought they could get to the sea over the top....But I guess thats not suicide.

Answer 5

I think humans are the only species that have the free will to commit suicide.
Other species get by the instinct for survival but we have evolved far past most animals & it brings a lot of stress along with it. Some people can cope, others can't.
As for saying you would NEVER do it - just say you don't know. Can you imagine how low & desperate you would need to be? No - then how could you know if you would do it or not?

Answer 6

Lemmings commit suicide in groups. into the sea, swim en eventually drown. Experts explain It is a call from nature, but I never understood why.

De male Black tarantule does also, he has a reason though, he throws himself in the jaws of the female during the mating, this way, he has more time to impregnate her.

I don't know any cases off animals killing themselves because they are depressed.

I'm sorry to hear about the loss of a friend of yours.

Answer 7

Lemmings do when they have a too great a population, to save their own species from extinction because of the food supply being able to sustain only a certain number of animals ! I think nature is so clever ! I wish humans where too,clever I mean !

Answer 8

What a question! Bravo! Are humans the only species who're worried about others?
Just joking. I guess humans are the only ones who commit suicide as other species are not burdened with any responsibilties as we are.

Answer 9

Love birds mate for life. If the mate dies the remaining bird will pluck out its own feathers, stop eating and die of starvation and exposure. I don't think it is the answer to do away with your self, but if your friend was that destroyed by the breakup, who are we to judge? Peace

Answer 10

Apparently sick animals can choose to speed up their deaths. And you get 'suicide bugs' of sorts, which 'detonate' themselves to ward off enemies. But generally it seems to be humans who take a conscious decision to do it - not even lemmings do it willingly, contrary to the myth. See the link below for more details.