Funny how "the sheer joy of it" is never considered.
I was watching a nature program and a bit on the Sea of Cortez, and the magnificent leaps of something called the mobula ray. In his serious, awed voice, the narrator said, "Nobody knows why they leap. Perhaps to impress potential mates." Maybe so. Further reading presented the possibility of escaping predators or ridding their bodies of parasites.
Leaping from the water high into the air looks like lots of fun. Why is a possible explanation never, "They love doing it! It's fun!" What? "Fun" isn't considered a proper scientific motivation?
Sometimes, one of my dogs will start running from one end of the house -- or the yard -- to the other. Full speed. Often barking at the same time. To me, the dog sounds very happy when he or she does that. I wonder what the "proper" scientific explanation is.
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