This question is actually partly inspired by another Straight Dope question. Someone once asked when humans realized sex=babies.
Other animals seems to know when a child is theirs or not. I once heard a story of a male gorillas killing a baby gorilla of his mate when he realized it wasn’t his. So:
Do other animals know that sex=babies?
I seriously doubt it. If dogs understood that copulation would produce unwanted puppies, I’d think we’d be seeing more in-heat bitches locking themselves in their masters’ houses.
I’ve seen the opposite version of this question:
Q: Do any other species besides humans have sex just for the fun of it?
A: Yes. All of them.
I’ve heard on a couple of TV shows that only dolphins and humans have recreational sex. I cannot verify that though…
Research has established that male lions upon securing a pride of females will kill the suckling young of a previous male in order to hasten estrus and receptivity for sex.
So how do we explain the monkeys at the zoo?
I have to wonder, though, grienspace – in the case of the lions, for example, how much is instinct? I’d have a hard time believing that such behavior is the result of a conscious, reasoned decision.
Of course, there’s an article on CNN today that says dogs can do math. (Put three biscuits in your pocket, give the dog two, and see what he does . . .)