When animals communicate with each other, do they lie and how could we tell?

Question

Humans lie to each other and is it possible that animals do too? I wonder if humans can tell when a dog is barking at another dog and is telling it a lie. The same applies to all animals.

I am curious and answers that are goofy and scientific would be appreciated.

Could you tell if your pet dog or cat is being truthful when it 'talks?'

Answer 1

After reading the answers here I feel I need to set the record straight. At least scientifically.

Lying does not imply intelligence. Animals can not talk of course (except perhaps dolphins. We simply do not know enough about them to know what they are capable of. We do know that they create names for themselves.). Anyway even though they can not talk they can send various information and messages. Do they lye. YOU BET!

There is a species of lightning bug that mimics the flashes of females of other species in order to lure in males so they can eat them. The lure on the tongue of an alligator snapping turtle or the lure on the end of an angler fishes rod is a LYE. What about the eye spots on the wing of a moth? Or the caterpillar that looks like the head of a snake. How about the bird that pretends to be hurt to lure a predator away from a nest? These are all lies!!!!!!! Animals do what benefits them at the time. Don't expect nature to be nice.

Answer 2

Yes, at least one can.
There is an African Grey Parrot called Alex.
He knows a few hunderd words like the names of different types of colors. fruits. Numbers. Simple stuff but enought so that you can have a conversation with him and do experiments.
Sometimes when the people studying him ask him questions
like what color a piece of paper is or how many grapes are on the tray he will give the wrong answer when the day before he gave the correct one.
The scientists think that he is giving the wrong answer on purpose.

Either he is joking or pissed off, tired of being studied but is obvious he knows the correct answer but just doesn't want to say it.

I think if parrots can lie than other equally intelligent animals like dolphins and elepants could lie as well.

Answer 3

No, animals I believe can feel guilt as in when a dog goes to the bathroom in the house or eats food it knows it shouldn't. But to tell a lie involves deception and understanding the preservation of self, these are two things that are definitely not displayed by animals. Perhaps monkeys and dolphins may be able to lie, but their brain function is much higher than your average pet or wild animal.

Answer 4

There are possibilities for the animals to lie among one another.They maynot express their ideas in any language.We can realise this with an illustration.To our pets when we call their name or if we give them some commands they respond to it.If they have the capacity to understand our language,then why don't they talk in our language?But their vocal capacity donot help them for that.So they may talk in their own language.They have the same tastes and feelings as the human & they also does not wishes to be so wise not to lie. So ,they may not lie to us,but they may lie among themselves.

Answer 5

Dogs don't lie, but they can be sneaky.

It's not lying as you would think of as human terms, but more like instinct and action.

Like if scruffy snarls and growls at bruno, but as soon as bruno makes a move towards scruffy, scruffy turns tail and yipes away.

scruffy was just trying to scare bruno into thinking he was going to do something when scruffy was just a scaredy cat all along. Get it?

I remember my old dog would usually greet me with tail wagging tongue lolling when I came home. And when he had an accident, when I came home I'd find him just sitting in one spot, looking at me. Rotating, with but still on the ground towards my direction. It is only until I push him out of the way would he move and I'd discover his accident. He was trying to hide his accident by sitting on it! And he would do it every time.


Dogs can be deceitful, but can't really lie.

Answer 6

with the loss of existence of plant or animal and departing existence of this sort of dwelling factor possesses neither id nor character; it would not individually stay to tell the story loss of existence. for the period of its existence and the time of its sojourn in the physique of remember, it has handed by using a metamorphosis; it has handed by using potential evolution and survives purely as an element of the cosmic forces of the universe; it would not stay to tell the story as person existence. The survival of mortal creatures is thoroughly predicated on the evolvement of an immortal soul in the mortal strategies. P.954 - §10 The ancients believed that souls could desire to pass into animals or perhaps inanimate products. This culminated in the werewolf concepts of animal id. someone may well be a regulation-abiding citizen via day, yet whilst he fell asleep, his soul could desire to pass right into a wolf or another animal to prowl approximately on nocturnal depredations.

Answer 7

hi.... a man can lie to a woman also a man can lie to with animals. Meaning, animals also can lie with their fellow animals, especially with different specie (like dog to cat) but if with same specie (puppy to dog) , they cant lie with each other. WE could tell that they may lie. But do you think animals knew that we human beings can lie to them? If yes, probably, they lie too.But i tell you, only man are capable of lying because we are children of God. Animals are just animals, but they give life in the community...

Answer 8

My bird says 'I can talk, can you fly?'

LOtsa camoflaged animals are living a lie, whether its 'I'm poisonous', 'I'm a leaf!' or whatever.
Animals often avoid injury by bluff fighting, posturing, or charging instead of deadlier physical contact. A lot of sexual courtship innuendo is dependant upon appearences rather than hard facts. Maybe not lying, but stretching the truth, for sure.

Answer 9

Animals never lie. Part of their beauty and charm is their honesty. They never deceive and are always true. Man is the only animal that lies and the only animal that kills for sport.
This is probably why you will never see a dog as president.

Answer 10

They seem to follow sets of social 'niceties' in communication which make them acceptable to others within their group or pack. It is quite possible that some of these gestures and physical displays may well be insincere or put on. So, I think possibly they do!