Exploring Animal Cognition and the Concept of Death

What does it mean to understand death? For centuries, philosophers have argued that only humans can truly comprehend mortality. But what if they’re wrong?

In this episode, we speak with philosopher Susana Monsó, author of Playing Possum: How Animals Understand Death, to explore whether animals can grasp their own mortality. From grieving elephants to corpse-removing ants and possums that play dead, we investigate what animal behavior reveals about their concept of death. Do dogs understand when their owners pass away? Do predators recognize a corpse as different from prey? And what does this mean for how we treat animals?