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EvoThan

@evothan.bsky.social
43 followers 1 following 44 posts

The EvoThan Collective & International Symposium on Comparative Evolutionary Thanatology evothanatology.wixsite.com/evothan

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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
A reflective post from John Hawks on grief in primates and early hominins. Chimp mothers have carried their dead infants for up to four months, a behavior seen in 40+ primate species. What might it tell us about how our ancestors grieved? #comparativethanatology #primatology
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Dashti & Gonçalves propose an inclusive definition of grief across species: a response to the disruption of significant social bonds, built on a deeply conserved attachment system and its nonapeptide toolkit. Full paper here: doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2025.0147 #comparativethanatology #animalgrief
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Jett & Yang find dead honey bees trapped on milkweed cut visits by 37%, most strongly by honey bees. 91% of the effect was direct aversion to dead conspecifics, possibly to avoid predation or disease. Access here: doi.org/10.1002/ecy.70452 #comparativethanatology #necrophobia
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Hi Michael, It was great. We had over 220 registrants from around 30 countries, including a few reporters, and yet it still felt like a small club concert: close, lively, and full of good conversation between sessions. Until EvoThan2028!
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Bowers et al. filmed the bones of a long-dead bull elephant in Kenya for 3.5 months: 34 visits, often with thanatological interactions such as touching and sniffing, 85% by lone males or bachelor groups. Access here: doi.org/10.1111/aje.70211 #comparativethanatology #evolutionarythanatology
doi.org
African Savannah Elephant (<fc><fi>Loxodonta africana</fi></fc>) Interactions at Elephant Bones: Observations From Southern Kenya
Elephant behaviour towards dead conspecifics has been well documented, but mostly on fresh female or calf carcasses. This study builds upon existing observations by describing elephant interactions a...
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Meynecke & Mulville report the first documented humpback whale mother attending her stillborn. She touched it and rested eye to eye beside it, but, unlike many odontocetes, never tried to lift it to the surface. Link: link.springer.com/article/10.1... #cetaceanthanatology #epimeleticbehavior
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Now published: Hammond & Püschel find infant corpse carrying duration in Pan (83 cases) tracks cause of death, infant age, and interbirth intervals, none requiring mothers to grasp death's finality. Full paper here: doi.org/10.1098/rsbl... #primatethanatology #infantcorpsecarrying
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Dembitzer & Ben-Ami propose the funeral hypothesis: corpses hold information, and gatherings around them become information centers where knowledge of threats spreads, offsetting their costs. Access here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.... #comparativethanatology #evolutionarythanatology
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Mota-Rojas et al. review emotional pain in non-human mammals, from amygdala, anterior cingulate, and opioid circuitry to grief-like behaviors, dysthymia-like states, and Takotsubo syndrome. Link: www.frontiersin.org/journals/vet... #comparativethanatology #animalgrief
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Arnon & Wronski report an adult Indian crested porcupine carrying a juvenile's carcass 8 min after a golden jackal killed it. They favor mortuary behavior over cannibalistic scavenging or osteophagy. Full paper here: doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-bja10376 #comparativethanatology #mortuarybehavior
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Kucheravy et al. used a drone to film a female killer whale in the Canadian Arctic carrying her dead calf. Past reports are mostly from the NE Pacific, suggesting the behavior is species-wide. Full paper here: link.springer.com/content/pdf/... #comparativethanatology #epimeleticbehavior
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Vonk & Erck surveyed cat and dog caregivers after a human caregiver died or left. Both species ate, slept, and played less and searched more for the lost person, especially when closely bonded. Access here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #comparativethanatology #companionanimals
doi.org
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Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel @sanjeeta.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
#EvoThan2026 happening now at UCL #ComparativeThanatology @evothan.bsky.social
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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Delighted to be virtually watching/ hearing @leanneproops.bsky.social speak on human perspectives on grief by animals at the @evothan.bsky.social conference #grief #death #deathstudies #animals #evolution
A PowerPoint slide shows the talk title Human Perspectives on Animal Grief and Loss
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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Now hearing Jennifer Vonk speak online @evothan.bsky.social conference, documenting, e.g., "grief-like" behaviors of cats following death of cat or dog in same home. #cats #grief #deathstudies #evolutionarythanatology #anthrozoology #multispecies
A PowerPoint slide shows the talk title, The tail-end of life: How animals respond to loss
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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
"Comparative thanatology is a breeding ground of ideas": great to hear @fieryangelsfell.bsky.social speak on day 2 @evothan.bsky.social conference. Cool focus on ways to tease out experimentally what various #animals may grasp of #death. #deathstudies #biology #anthropology #nature
The slide shows a chimpanzee image with the talk title: Understanding Death in the Animal World: Conceptual, Aconceptual or Something In Between?
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
📢 EvoThan2026 starts in just two weeks! The full schedule is now available! Join us September 14–15, 2026 at UCL, London (and online) for the International Symposium on Comparative Evolutionary Thanatology. Registration is free (by Sep 12)! 🔗 Register: evothanatology.wixsite.com/evothan/regi...
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Hi Tim, We recorded our first EvoThan in 2024, and our plan is to eventually host the past talks on our website. But we’re a small team, so when exactly they’ll make it onto the site, who can say? Our suggestion is try to attend to the ones you can, they are free after all.
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
📢 EvoThan2026 starts in just two weeks! The full schedule is now available! Join us September 14–15, 2026 at UCL, London (and online) for the International Symposium on Comparative Evolutionary Thanatology. Registration is free (by Sep 12)! 🔗 Register: evothanatology.wixsite.com/evothan/regi...
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Amber stratton @amberstratton.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Excited to speak at my first conference 🥳🥳 (along with the rest of the Thanatobase team!!) about our work building an open access database compiling every record of primate responses to corpses!
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Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel @sanjeeta.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
And here we have the second season 🤗 Special shout-out to @fieryangelsfell.bsky.social for all his efforts and creativity 🐘😇
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Leanne Proops @leanneproops.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Very excited to be a part of this symposium exploring animal responses to death and dying! Free to attend, online or in person. Hopefully see you there 💀😁
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
📢 A New EvoThan Symposium is coming! Join us Sept. 14–15, 2026 at UCL, London (and online) for EvoThan2026: International Symposium on Comparative Evolutionary Thanatology. Come learn how animals respond to death and dying. Free to attend! Link: evothanatology.wixsite.com/evothan #EvoThan2026
EvoThan2026 Poster depicting a higanbana flower drawing at the center and surrounding animal drawings at the edges (leopard seal, horse, honey bee, dice snake and a gorilla.  Topics including: " grief in animals , undertaking in bees, death-feigning in snakes, corpse carrying in primates, animal concepts of death, hominid burials & more". Free attendance. Website: https://evothanatology.wixsite.com/evothan
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
📢 A New EvoThan Symposium is coming! Join us Sept. 14–15, 2026 at UCL, London (and online) for EvoThan2026: International Symposium on Comparative Evolutionary Thanatology. Come learn how animals respond to death and dying. Free to attend! Link: evothanatology.wixsite.com/evothan #EvoThan2026
EvoThan2026 Poster depicting a higanbana flower drawing at the center and surrounding animal drawings at the edges (leopard seal, horse, honey bee, dice snake and a gorilla.  Topics including: " grief in animals , undertaking in bees, death-feigning in snakes, corpse carrying in primates, animal concepts of death, hominid burials & more". Free attendance. Website: https://evothanatology.wixsite.com/evothan
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André Gonçalves @fieryangelsfell.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Time is approaching for another iteration of a special symposium... @evothan.bsky.social #EvoThan2026
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Gareta García et al. report a lethal encounter in bonobos: a coalition attacked an adult female, and her infant was taken by out-group individuals, dying the following day. The corpse carried for 2days. Access: nature.com/articles/s41598-026-40297-w.pdf #comparativethanatology #deadinfantcarrying
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
del Castillo et al. document wild moor macaques' reactions to a dead adult male in Sulawesi, including visual inspection and vocalizations across multiple age and sex classes. Access here: repository.lincoln.ac.uk/ndownloader/files/63966225 #comparativethanatology #primatethanatology
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Diego et al. report post-mortem infant-directed behaviors in wild Guinea baboons over 12 years, including carrying, grooming, and cannibalism across 63 cases. Full paper here: biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.18.706182v1.full.pdf #comparativethanatology #deadinfantcarrying
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Mutka et al. report a free-ranging Saimaa ringed seal carrying her dead pup for at least 7 days, documented via camera trap. Full paper here: link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00300-026-03468-z.pdf #comparativethanatology #epimeleticbehavior
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Hammond & Püschel analyse 83 ICC cases across the genus Pan using Bayesian mixed-effects models, finding that carrying duration is predicted by cause of death, infant age, and site-level interbirth intervals. Preprint here: doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.28.702208 #comparativethanatology
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Mu, Yang et al. propose a 5-dimensional framework for comparing death cognition across species. Dolphins, elephants, and chimpanzees show more advanced death understanding than other taxa. Access here: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11427-025-3118-x #comparativethanatology #deathcognition
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
del Castillo et al. document moor macaques' reactions to a dead adult male in Sulawesi, including visual inspection and vocalizations across multiple age/sex classes no physical contact. Full paper here: repository.lincoln.ac.uk/ndownloader/files/63966225 #comparativethanatology #primatethanatology
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Inagaki et al. document mating attempts and sustained interest behaviors in wild boars toward a dead conspecific, via camera trap. Full paper here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ece3.73848 #comparativethanatology #necrophilicresponses
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Mating Attempts and Sustained Interest Behaviors of Wild Boars (<fc><fi>Sus scrofa</fi></fc>) Toward a Dead Conspecific
We documented behavioral responses of wild boars (Sus scrofa) to a conspecific carcass using camera traps throughout the full decomposition process. One adult male exhibited necrophilic behavior and ....
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Osuna-Mascaró et al. show that Goffin's cockatoos can develop sensitivity to permanent non-functionality,categorizing stimuli as irreparably non-functional after a single negative event. Full paper here: nature.com/articles/s41598-026-57007-1 #comparativethanatology #animalcognition
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Zhu & Wang review the neuroethology of corpse-directed behaviors across bees, covering avoidance, removal, cannibalism, and burial + the neurobiological, sensory, and endocrine mechanisms behind them. Review here: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959438826000103 #comparativethanatology
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Comparative Thanatology Highlights — 2026 Edition (so far). See the thread below for this year's standout publications. #comparativethanatology #evolutionarythanatology
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Arlet et al. (2025) proposes a framework to study primate thanatology, addressing the need for standardized methods. It emphasizes individual responses to conspecific death using clear behavioral variables. Link: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1... #PrimateThanatology #EvolutionaryThanatology
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
New paper by Munyawera et al. (2025) analyzes 141 infant deaths over 21.7 years of observation in mountain gorillas.60.5% of mothers engage in infant corpse carrying (ICC), with an average duration of 4.9 days. Link: link.springer.com/article/10.1... #PrimateThanatology #deadinfantcarrying
link.springer.com
Responses of mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) to deceased infants - Primates
Studying nonhuman primates’ responses to the death of conspecifics has gained growing interest in comparative thanatology providing wider evolutionary context for our understanding of human responses ...
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Attademo et al. report 25 years of parental & epimeletic behavior in captive manatees. Findings reveal complex maternal care, cooperative female caregiving, adoption of orphaned calves, and care toward deceased calves by two females and a male. Link: doi.org/10.1016/j.ap... #comparativethanatology
doi.org
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Kotik & Towers document the rare, closely witnessed decline and final hours of adult male orca whale , including interactions with Pacific white-sided dolphins, humpbacks, and the attentive presence of his kin. Access link here: doi.org/10.1111/mms.... #epimeleticbehaviour #comparativethanatology
All four members of the I4 matriline surrounded by a group of Pacific white-sided dolphins during I76's final moments at the surface. I76 is visible beneath the surface in the bottom left of the frame. Photo: Jared Towers.
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Van Oosten et al. (2025) review how signs of depression appear in primates, proposing diagnostic criteria requiring a core symptom (depressed mood or anhedonia). Several signs occur naturally, often after maternal loss or social separation. Link: peerj.com/articles/187... #animalgrief #depression
peerj.com
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Benjamin et al. report a group of Bryde’s whales repeatedly surfacing, circling, and closely inspecting a deceased adult pod member over several days, marking the first documented case of such thanatological responses in these baleen whales. Link: doi.org/10.20944/pre... #epimeleticbehavior
Several images depicting: a solitary Bryde’s whale spy-hopping near the carcass screening the water surface for intruders; a distressed whale sliding in and out of the water; and repeated blowing around the drifting carcass.
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André Gonçalves @fieryangelsfell.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
In 2024, my colleagues and I organized the @evothan symposium, bringing together experts in comparative thanatology from around the world. At the time, a French documentary team captured many of us in action: now available to watch here (w/ Eng subtitles): www.arte.tv/fr/videos/11... #animalgrief
arte.tv
Le chagrin des animaux : mythe ou réalité ? - Regarder le documentaire complet | ARTE
Que ressentent les animaux face à la mort de leurs congénères, et qu’en comprennent-ils ? À travers des exemples passionnants, une exploration d’un champ d’études en plein essor : la thanatologie anim...
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Tong et al. show that losing a pair-bonded partner alters CRF receptor levels in the coyote brain, in olfactory, hippocampal, and amygdala regions, highlighting neurobiological effects of grief in long-lived monogamous mammals. Paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.ne... #animalgrief #postmortembrainmapping
doi.org
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Chen et al. report thanatological responses in black snub-nosed monkeys, including revisiting and guarding deceased companions, alarm calls, and social partner hugging, alongside some scavenging by local carnivores. Access paper here: doi.org/10.1002/ajp.... #primatethanatology #cameratraps
Behavioral responses of black snub‐nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri) near conspecific Carcass No. 1 (deceased adult female) on
14 November 2019, at Pianma region, Lushui City, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. (A) Hugging between OMU
members and occasionally looking at carcass from middle strata ~ 25 m away; (B) looking at carcass and vigilant scanning of surroundings; (C) alarm
calling; (D) teeth chattering and threatening toward individuals from another OMU as they approached the carcass. Photos taken by Pu Liu and
Yixin Chen.
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Sun et al. show that mice exhibit reviving-like behaviors toward unconscious or dead conspecifics, escalating from sniffing to licking and tongue-pulling, which can aid recovery and are driven by oxytocin. Open-access paper here: doi.org/10.1126/scie... #comparativethanatology #epimeleticbehavior
doi.org
Reviving-like prosocial behavior in response to unconscious or dead conspecifics in rodents
Whereas humans exhibit emergency responses to assist unconscious individuals, how nonhuman animals react to unresponsive conspecifics is less well understood. We report that mice exhibit stereotypic b...
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Ricci-Bonot et al. report that horses show grief-like behavioral changes after the death of a conspecific: altered interactions, arousal, and vigilance, persisting for month when bonds were strong or death was witnessed. Paper here: doi.org/10.1016/j.ap... #comparativethanatology #animalgrief
doi.org
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Delval et al. report a primiparous capuchin mother carrying and caring for her dead infant, maintaining contact most of the time while other group members observed, suggesting coping strategies in response to the loss. Paper here: doi.org/10.1007/s103... #primatethanatology #deadinfantcarrying
Fig. 1 Locomotor adjustments by the mother during corpse-carrying. a) Irene moving bipedally on a branch with the corpse; b) Fire (in rigor
mortis), draped across a branch, while Irene self-grooms; c) Fire left on the branch, while Irene is foraging
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EvoThan @evothan.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Nakamichi & Yamada observed Japanese macaques’ reactions to dying and dead adult companions.Most avoided individuals with maggots, but others with strong social bonds sometimes remained nearby/groomed the deceased. Open-access paper here: doi.org/10.1007/s103... #comparativethanatology #socialbonds
An unrelated 2-year-old female grooming Pet87’s corpse (14:17, December 6, 1999). She was a probable grooming partner before Pet87’s death, as her mother was one of his confirmed grooming partners
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