Is it true that animals cry?
The truth is, yes, animals cry for different reasons. According to the French zoologist, Enrique Coupin, the animal that suffers pain, fear, stress or sadness expresses it through crying. He also points out that the loss of protective contact is the main cause of crying in animals. A clear example of this is dogs that do not use ocular tearing, but when the pups are separated for some reason from their mothers they become restless, crying, moaning and howling.
What does the crying mean?
Crying is the way to release the tension caused by the sadness the animal is suffering at the moment. It also serves to call the attention of the outside world and get attention, food, warmth, etc. He may also be sleepy or have some pain that is making him suffer.
Why does the crying occur?
Animals cry because they feel insecure, unprotected, mistreated, alone, sad, hungry, in pain. But there are other cases in which the animal needs to moisten its eyes, for example crocodiles cry when they are out of water to lubricate their sight, in addition their tears remove salt that has not been discarded by their kidneys after swallowing water or eating prey.
Some of the most weepy animals are dolphins, they tear up and sigh when they feel sad about losing a family member. Seals and otters are also characterized by their frantic crying when they are frightened or separated from their young.
Gulls cry too, but they do so for physiological needs. These birds use the crying to free themselves from the excess salt in their bodies; in the upper part of their eye they have a gland through which they secrete milky tears, after eating fish and drinking sea water.
The animal world is wonderful, as you can see each species has unique characteristics even in crying, because in some it is used to eliminate toxins and moisten the eyes, others cry when they suffer pain, need contact, cold and in fights. However, there is only one animal that uses tears to express its emotions and feelings, it is known as a human being.