Writers of children’s stories often give human traits to animals, even to the point of talking in sentences that make sense. On the other hand, it has been a past critique of the scientific community to denigrate attempts to anthropomorphize animals and deny that animals have human-like emotions. More recently, however, scientific researchers have found that at least some animals possess more human-like mental and emotional characteristics than previously thought.

In an extensively researched book, Beyond Words (published in 2015), with observations and information compiled over many years, Carl Safina lays out the case for what animals think and feel. In one section of the book, Safina describes his observations of wolves in Yellowstone National Park. Listen to the podcast to learn more about their behavior and the similarities with human behaviors.