Do animals commit suicide? Recently an article in the authoritative Time (Nobel, 2010) restarted the debate (Cobb, 2010), with many pros, enriched with examples and pathetic remembrances, and an indignant “no way,” including that of Rowan Hooper, editor for the News of New Scientist (Hooper, 2010). Please, do not quote lemmings or the scorpion circled by fire, stated Hooper: they do not commit
suicide. Hooper is right. However, the question deserves a reply, which is slightly more complicated than a simple yes or no.