Do any animals apart from humans have an evolving den/nest aesthetic?

Submitted by Toorelad t3_11veevf in askscience

Is there any evidence where animals create something purely for aesthetics in their home, but then later change it to another "style"?

I was trying to think of any that just flat out decorate their homes, and all I could come up with was birds gathering shiny things, but it lead me to wonder if any other animals decorate and then change their decorations like we do.

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Dr_Rapier t1_jcuqvp7 wrote

Vogelkopf Bower Birds decorate the area around their nest/loveshack to prove their suitability as mates. The b interesting thing is that they share a human aesthetic. That is to say the nests that a test group of humans said were the most attractive were also the most 'successful'. Showing that the female bowerbirds agreed with the humans on what constituted a pretty nest.

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Krail t1_jcvfzsj wrote

Now that's interesting.

Have they identified any specific aesthetic traits that are involved in what makes a nest more attractive? I figure it must be a difficult thing to test, but I'm now very curious about convergent evolution of aesthetic tastes.

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Dr_Rapier t1_jcvpneg wrote

It was a wildlife doc I saw, I don't remember any specifics of the aesthetic beyond colour choices, composition and layout. Though this particular species tended to go for concentric rings.

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Ok-Championship-2036 t1_jcvghcm wrote

To some extent, each den is unique and crafted to suit the needs of the individual animal. So each one could be called unique, potentially. We have also seen evidence of "locality" among certain species, where beavers pick up different techniques from their parents or neighbors when building and re-building dams. Or where bears teach each other tricks to get around human habitation.

But I don't know if I would go so far as to call it a style... I think "style" implies an ideal of fashion or values. There would have to be a clear idea of good or bad examples in order to decorate properly. It feels a bit too far outside of function to have a strong presence in non-domesticated animals. Even animals like rats (which are fastidious about their homes and re-arrange daily or weekly), the arranging part is still largely functional, changing pathways, access points, cleanliness, or textures.

So, to answer your question, I think "style" is a purely human concept. However, plenty of individuals animals DO have a preferred form of building and maintaining dens, and that is something we see across many species. Each animal is going to have its own unique method of going about things and its own way of meeting needs. The way they change and decorate the den is probably going to be a reflection of that rather than a particular "look".

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Toorelad OP t1_jcykumb wrote

I guess that's essentially what my question came down to, whether or not there was another species that did these things without there being a practical purpose to it, but just because they like the way it looks.

I didn't really think there would be, but I was curious. Still, I appreciate the answer.

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