Why we shouldn’t attribute human motivations to animals like bees

Anthropomorphising animals such as chimps, dolphins and bees will stifle scientific enquiry instead of encouraging it, says evolutionary biologist Marlene Zuk

By Marlene Zuk

IS PLAY the new tool use? A recent paper recounts bumblebees rolling tiny wooden balls, not for a reward, but apparently just for fun. The authors conclude that the behaviour fulfils the criteria for play, with one noting: “It goes to show… that despite their little size and tiny brains, they are more than small robotic beings.” Put another way, bees just wanna have fun, and that presumably makes them more like people.

This discovery underscores a long-standing conflict in our view of animals. On the one hand, we want to find the features that distinguish humans from other animals: …