Why do some animals dance? Here’s a take from an expert

Dancing and animals have always been a trend, but what about dancing animals? As fascinating as they are to watch, their reasons to doing so are even more interesting because they have a purpose.

Honey bees, for instance, do the “waggle dance” to communicate with fellow bees. Noticed by Greek philosopher Aristotle and studied by zoologist Karl Frisch in the 1960's, they revealed that bees especially do this when there is food.

“Dahil walang ears ang bees at madalas madilim sa loob ng bee hive, vibration ang gamit nila to send messages to each other,” Drew Arellano narrated.

“Dito nila ginagaa ang waggle dance para ituro sa mga kasamahan nila ang direction papunta sa food.”

Dolphins meanwhile are actually natural dancers. Although they can learn complex dance moves with training, some they learn on their own.

Jumping during shows for instance, is considered a no-fail trick, but in reality, dolphins jump to conserve energy when swimming.

“Minsan daw kasi ay napapagod din ang dolphins lumangoy sa heavy water kaya they would leap into the air para mas malayo ang marating nila using less energy,” Drew explained.

In a video of a cockatoo banging its head, animal expert Emmanuel Rafael said that it might be “[pleasing] its companion.”

“Yung pagsasayaw ng mga animals in the wild, particularly birds, are often associated with mating rituals, companionship,” he said.

“Ginagamit nila yung kanilang vibrant colors to display their status na maganda yung kanilang health, genes and sinasabayan nila ‘yon either ng mga calls o mga movement.”

Expert Emmanuel added that animals can be trained to do certain activities but although we see this as entertainment, animals actually follow as a response to stimuli. — Franchesca Viernes/LA, GMA News