This is Ed. He’s a Canadian sphynx cat. He’s curious, outgoing, affectionate, and very responsive to human emotion. He’s also talkative. Say his name, he purrs. In this portrait, his forward-tilted ears show that he’s alert and his narrowed pupils that he’s relaxed.

LIKE FAMILY

To observe an octopus, marine biologist David Scheel brought Heidi to live with him and his daughter. As Scheel sipped his morning tea, Heidi stretched, yoga-like, in her aquarium. When the family watched TV, Heidi watched TV. When they returned home, she swished…PHOTOGRAPH BY QUINTON SMITH, PASSION PLANET

A SENSE OF SELF

A Japanese macaque stares at its reflection in a moped mirror. Some monkeys appear to recognize the image that they’re seeing as themselves, as do apes. Scientists use the so-called mirror test to determine if animals exhibit self-awareness. In humans this attribute develops around 18 months or later.

BODY LANGUAGE

Sows, illuminated by light rings, are photographed by animal behavior scientists at Scotland’s Rural College. The images are analyzed using an algorithm by experts at the University of the West of England to detect subtle facial expressions. “We are at the stage of reading emotional states in pigs, which is a pretty remarkable achievement,” says Emma Baxter, a Rural College researcher.

READY RECALL

A sheep ponders two numbers to pick the one it was taught to recognize. Sheep are good at this. They also remember faces, a high-level social skill. University of Cambridge researcher Jenny Morton says that although sheep are known to flock, they’re easy to work with when alone. “They trust their handler,” she says. “Trust requires emotional intelligence.”

STILL LIFE

Knopfi, an Australian shepherd being studied at the University of Vienna, learned how to lie motionless in a magnetic resonance imaging machine. Observing dog brains, scientists have found activity in areas similar to those in humans. Words of praise lit up a dog’s reward centers. Videos of caregivers activated regions tied to attachment.

THE NOSE KNOWS

Changa, a chimpanzee at Germany’s Leipzig Zoo studied by Max Planck Institute researchers, inspects a thermal imaging camera. When humans are stressed, their noses get cooler. Scientists  also found colder noses in chimps that listened to recordings and watched videos of chimps fighting. Seeing a person they knew who appeared to be wounded had the same effect, suggesting the chimps felt empathy.

SHIMMERING MINDS

Ravens have remarkable cognitive abilities. Their sharp memories enable them to recall whether a particular person is kind or cruel. They display complex emotional abilities, such as consoling ravens vanquished in a fight, and are keenly attuned to their role in social networks. They also seem to be able to assess what other birds know, a highly advanced level of understanding.

MIRROR IMAGE

Magpies—like ravens, a member of the corvid family—are one of a few non-mammals to pass the mirror test. When they spot a mark on their body visible only in a reflection, they try to remove it. This indicates they realize they’re seeing themselves. Birds have small brains and no cerebral cortex, but they make up for it with a high density of neurons.

TO THE RESCUE

“Rats,” says Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal, a neuroscientist at Tel Aviv University, “show the basic components of empathy.” In a study, she tested the rodents to see whether they would free another rat trapped in a tube. She discovered that they help only those belonging to their own social group. Adolescent rats, though, don’t discriminate.

RING IT UP

A beluga in an aquarium in Hamada, Japan, blows a bubble ring. Known to be playful, belugas have been observed making a variety of bubbles with their blowholes and mouths, in essence creating their own ephemeral toys. Often, when one starts to bubble, others join in. Play may have evolved to form social bonds and learn skills, but scientists think animals also like to have fun.

HAND UP OR HANDOUT?

A rescued orangutan named Anih reaches toward Syahrul, an employee of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation who has cared for Anih for years. Anih watched Syahrul struggle to walk in the mucky canal, the photographer says, and finally offered a hand. The photo went viral, but foundation officials caution against anthropomorphizing animal behavior. They think Anih probably was asking for food.

PAYING RESPECT

Researchers have found ample evidence that elephants, like dolphins and whales, grieve. They’ve seen the animals linger where their relatives have died, rather than leave to forage for food. And they’ve watched elephants, like these in Botswana, gently touch the bones of their kin with their trunks. “It was curiously and heartbreakingly similar to that of a mourning ritual,” says Beverly Joubert, a photographer and National Geographic Explorer.

GRIEF OBSERVED

A short-finned pilot whale tows a dead calf near the Canary Islands, a behavior also seen in orcas. Scientists increasingly think animals grieve. Asha de Vos, a Sri Lankan marine biologist and National Geographic Explorer, notes that pilot whales live in family pods. “Mourning is a reflection of the strong social bonds that are formed through their lifetimes,” she says.

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

Viktor, a bonobo at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas, is known for interacting with visitors. Frans de Waal, an expert on primate behavior, thinks bonobos may have a greater sense of empathy than humans. In bonobos, he says, areas of the brain responsive to the distress of others are larger and pathways to tamp aggression more developed.