Categories: Comparisons, Pseudo-explanations
An example of anthropomorphism in a naturalist's writing:
"Cynopithecus nigrescens, a curious baboon-like money…They go in large bands, living chiefly in the trees, but often descending on the ground and robbing gardens and orchards."
Alfred Russel Wallace
Wallace, A. R. (1869). Malay Archipelago
'Robbing' is presumably being used metaphorically, as to rob (rther than just take) requires an understanding of something being someone else's property. Humans do not recognise ownership rights of other species in their territories, so why would we expect baboons to consider the contents of orchards as being property they are not entitled to?
Read examples of anthropomorphism in science communication
