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Why animals love to play
Ask, Nov/Dec 2003 by Braaf, Ellen R
Cats, dogs, and bears also invite play with exaggerated paw movements. They touch or slap their intended play partner in a relaxed way. Cats usually keep their claws retracted; bears angle their claws to do no harm.
A rapid approach and withdrawal is an invitation to chase; so is a fake-left-go-right maneuver. Relaxed and loose-limbed, an animal taking a gamboling approach looks like its body is held together with rubber bands. In animal "talk" that practically shouts, "Come play with me!"
During play, animals constantly monitor their behavior to keep play going. If one animal plays too rough, the play ends. To keep things "fun," they often reverse roles. A stronger or dominant animal will lie on its back, assuming a submissive position, while a weaker animal gets to play "boss."
Tiguak and Eddy
Blind and deaf at birth-weighing only about one and a half pounds-polar bears spend their first month nursing and sleeping. When they're a little older, their mothers teach them how to play. But Tiguak, a little polar bear at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo, was abandoned by her mother a few days after she was born. Zookeepers knew that if Tiguak didn't learn to play and bond with other polar bears, she'd never have a family of her own. But how do you teach a one-year-old, 300-pound bear to play? Get her a one-year-old, 300-pound friend!
Eddy, a "fun-loving" polar bear from the Jardin Zoo in Quebec, Canada, seemed like the perfect playmate for Tiguak. Raised by his mother, he knew how to play. So zookeepers brought the two together.
At first, Tiguak and Eddy lived in separate, side-by-side caves. They switched living areas every week to get used to each other's scent. When they finally met face-to-face, two months later, Eddy was ready to romp. But Tiguak ignored him. He offered her toys-a ball, a Frisbee, a pail. She wasn't interested.
Zookeepers worried, but Eddy didn't give up. He invited her to join him with a play bow. Tiguak didn't know what it meant. Finally, he engaged her in a game of chase by running up to her, then running away. She raced after him, and they've been playing together ever since. When the time came for Eddy to go home, his bear-y best friend, Tiguak, went with him.
Playing animals bite, swat, and hip-slam one another, but not as hard as they can. Play may be rough and tumble, but the goal is not to get hurt or to hurt a play partner. Animals don't play to win. They just play.
Is Play "Brain Food"?
Research shows that smarter animals spend more time playing. Elephants play more than horses. Chimps play more than macaques. Wolves play more than rabbits. And parrots play more than either ducks or sparrows. Smarter animals also play in more creative and complex ways. Not surprisingly, humans and chimpanzees are among the most playful species.
Could play actually help the brain grow? Some scientists think so. They believe that play exercises the brain like lifting a weight exercises a muscle. They even call play "brain food."
John Byers studied brain size and playfulness in marsu- pials-animals like kangaroos, koalas, and wombats that carry their young in a pouch. He wondered if marsupials that played were brainier than those that did not. In Australia he observed head-butting wombats (which looked like "frolicking fire hydrants"), boxing kangaroos, and wrestling Tasmanian devils. He believed that they were not only having fun but were helping to wire their brains as well.
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