Kissing is a big part of human culture. According to ancient cuneiform tablets found in Iraq, humans have been smooching since at least 2500 B.C. Around the world today, many societies share kisses in some form or another, whether it’s for romance, familial love or a friendly greeting.
When a behavior is so widespread, it makes sense to wonder whether other species do the same and if the behavior has an evolutionary origin. So do any other animals kiss?
If you want to know the answer, first you need to define a kiss — and that’s not as simple as it sounds.
From a tongue-filled makeout to a platonic peck on the cheek, the physical expression of human kissing can run the gamut. The intention behind a lip lock matters, too; pressing your lips against another’s during CPR may physically resemble a kiss, but few people would define it as one. Generally, human kissing needs to express some sort of positive social sentiment, whether it’s sexual, romantic or platonic.
Sheril Kirshenbaum, author of “The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling Us” (Grand Central Publishing, 2011), told NPR there are many examples of what we might consider “kisses” in the animal kingdom, from turtles tapping heads to moose and ground squirrels brushing noses.
Perhaps one of the most obvious examples of animal “kisses” are licks from our canine companions. Dogs bring their mouths to their humans’ faces and start licking to show affection, although this behavior can also serve many other purposes, such as grooming or enhancing their experience of smells. This behavior is likely reinforced by positive reactions from their owners.
Related: Do dogs love us?
On that note, it’s important to state that when studying these sorts of behaviors in animals, scientists try not to anthropomorphize, or to view animals’ actions through the lens of human motivations and behaviors. So, while it’s possible to study dogs and observe that they tend to lick the faces of humans they have close relationships with, we can’t assume those “kisses” have the same meaning for them as they do for us. For that reason, these sorts of actions are often called “kissing-like behaviors” rather than “kisses,” and they don’t always come with the positive connotation that human kisses do.
For example, out on the African savanna, you may see a pair of giraffes intertwining their necks, sometimes brushing their faces and lips across each…
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