An attempt at a semiotic approach to animal play and joking

Play in the animal kingdom is an extremely widespread phenomenon, most studied in higher vertebrates (birds and mammals), but clearly existing in the behavior of reptiles and fish, possibly even arachnids and insects. Definitely in cephalopods, chiefly octopuses.

The phenomenon of animal play is extremely multifarious and multilayer, so its definition is subject to many difficulties. In this paper, I attempt to use the definition proposed by Bekoff and Byers: “Play is all motor activity performed postnatally that appears to be purposeless, in which motor patterns from other contexts may often be used in modified forms and altered temporal sequences. If the activity is directed toward another living being, it is called social play.” (Animal Play: Evolutionary, Comparative, and Ecological Perspectives, Bekoff M, Byers J, Ed. p. 99)

Stuart Brown, in stating that animals have an intrinsic urge to play, declares that play forms one of the basic ways for animals to gain knowledge of themselves and their environment through adaptive, flexible and pleasure-laden action. (Ibid, p. 254)

I must confess that I’m not very happy with the use of the term “purposeless” for I am convinced that animals (vertebrates at least) have an intrinsic need to have fun or, dare I say, the need to leave and get impressions, in accordance with which I propose a definition of the signs of involvement as perceptible traits of animal activity indicating that the animal’s attention is purposefully engaged and targeted in a certain behavioral context.

This approach opens up a field of study of swift and extremely targeted signs in animal play. We know very well that young animals play with all manner of objects in all manner of circumstances in display of practically all major forms of behavior, such as sexual, social, defensive, parental, comfort etc. Whereas playing with living creatures, in terms of both intra- and interspecies contacts, animals use very specific signs designating the situation strictly as play. Most-studied examples include the canine “bow” as an invitation to play, ravens’ khrr-klack sound as an invitation for a play flight etc.

In my experience, different species of animals, especially in post-childhood and adult life, develop a special kind of play, which seems to me as playing with situations of play. An animal engaged in such activity holds back the specific “play” sign, starting a detailed imitation of a sexual advance or attack, dominance etc. but immediately displaying the previously omitted “play” sign at the first hint of the adversary exhibiting the proper reaction to the non-play activity.

This I would describe as “joking” between animals. Joking of this kind is easily observable in the behavior of apes, monkeys but also bears, canids, felines, Corvidae and parrots. It seems to me that in animal play, and especially in jocular play, enhanced possibilities of mutagenesis in memes takes place. Therefore, it could be very interesting in the study of the evolution of signs.