I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to return to my series on play. Life has a way of interrupting even the best intentions! Anyway, today I'm not writing about children, but animals. There's been a lot of research, some of it recent, showing the prevalence and drive for play among the non-human population.  I think this goes to show that play isn't something trivial at all, but rather fundamental and critical to life on this planet.

If animals do it, and sometimes preference play over other biological needs like food, there must be a reason why this drive is hard-wired into their brains. If play wasn't fundamental to life, that trait would surely have disappeared by now, right?

Now in case you're skeptical that animals play like humans, and because they are always fun to watch, let's check out some fun videos:

This first video is of foxes playing on a trampoline. There are actually several videos of foxes enjoying trampolines on the Internet! My gymnast daughter really enjoys watching these.

This next is one of my favorites -- a crow sledding down a roof in Russia! It's a must see to believe.

And, the last one for the day, dolphins blowing and playing with bubbles!