--- title: Thinking like an animal — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Thinking like an animal», a lesson of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Animals do not think like people: much of what they do comes from instincts that helped their wild ancestors survive, and if you know the reason --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/) / Thinking like an animal # Thinking like an animal Lesson 30 of the everyday course of Mova's primary school: 21 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/0/) — Animals do not think like people: much of what they do comes from instincts that helped their wild ancestors survive, and if you know the reason behind a behaviour you can predict what an animal will do next. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/1/) — Hunters such as dogs and cats chase what runs and pounce on what moves, so a running child or a fluttering hand can switch on the chase, while a still, quiet person switches it off. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/2/) — Prey animals such as horses, cows and rabbits survive by noticing danger and escaping, so a sudden noise or a shape they cannot see can make them bolt, kick or bite in fright. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/3/) — Parents of every kind defend their young, which is why a swooping magpie, a mother bear or a cow with a calf is more dangerous than the same animal at another time. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/4/) — For example, a fluffy young bird hopping on the lawn is usually a fledgling learning to fly; its parents are close by, still feeding it, so the kindest thing is to leave it alone and keep cats indoors. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/7/) — Many animal behaviours are instincts inherited from wild ancestors. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/8/) — Hunting animals have a strong instinct to chase things that run away. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/9/) — Pet cats still have a hunting instinct even when they are well fed. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/10/) — Cats often bring their catch back to their home, the place where they feel safe. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/11/) — Prey animals escape danger by running, kicking or hiding. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/12/) — A fledgling is a young bird with feathers that has left the nest and hops on the ground while its parents still feed it. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/13/) — Most birds will not abandon a chick because a person has touched it. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/14/) — A baby bird with no feathers on the ground has fallen out too early; if the nest is in reach, an adult can gently put it back. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/15/) — Young animals that seem to be alone, such as fledglings or bear cubs, usually have a parent close by. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/16/) — A rattlesnake's rattle is a warning that helps it avoid being stepped on and avoid a fight, so it does not waste its venom. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/17/) — A honeybee's barbed sting gets stuck in the stretchy skin of mammals, but not in the hard bodies of other insects. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/18/) — An animal in pain may bite even a person it loves. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/19/) — An animal woken by a sudden touch may snap in fright before it knows who you are. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/20/) — Many animals guard their territory, such as a dog behind its own fence or gate. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/21/) — A trapped or cornered animal is much more likely to bite or scratch. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/22/) — Many animals attack to protect their babies, nest or food, not because they are mean. - ← previous: [Wild birds, bats and germs from animals](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/29-germs-from-animals/) - next →: [Safe in the kitchen](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/31-kitchen-safety/) - ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/)