[Pia Asa]

Pia Asa asked the Naked Scientists:

My 6 year old daughter and I were wondering whether any other animals cry tears or are humans the only ones?  If there are other animals that cry do they cry for the same reasons as us?  

Thanks, Pia.

What do you think?

[blakestyger]

It seems not, this may not be a subject that attracts a great deal of scientific attention though I'd have thought some research into the higher primates would have thrown up something. You could try:

www.wisegeek.com/do-animals-cry.htm

and then do a bit of googling - good luck.

[TheHerbaholic]

Dogs cry! They dont cry tears though just get sad and howl type of cry if they do something wrong or if you lock them in the yard.

[rosalind dna]

Yes, my 2 cats cry tears and make sad noises but it sounds a bit like a small child crying and it always concerns me.

[LeeE]

I'm a bit hesitant about this one, but I'm sure I've read about at least one animal that does appear to shed tears when unhappy - trouble is, I can't remember which animal it was.

[paul.fr]

I would guess that the two out of ten cats that did not get fed whiskers would have been upset enough to cry.