The mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus) is capable of imitating the appearance and movements of more than fifteen different animals, including sea snakes, lionfish and jellyfish. The Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea), a small bird weighing no more than one hundred grams, travels around seventy thousand kilometres every year, from the Arctic to the Antarctic, flying an average of 300–500 kilometres a day. The axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), an amphibian native to central Mexico, has superpowers: it can regenerate severed limbs, damaged lungs and spinal cord, and even parts of its brain. The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is without doubt among the strangest animals in the world — this bizarre mammal lays eggs yet nurses its young, is venomous, and looks like a cross between a duck and a beaver.

Animals are incredible, and a world without them would be flat and empty. On 4 October, life is celebrated in all its extraordinary forms: it is World Animal Day, established in 1931 in Italy, in Florence, at the behest of a group of ecologists who wished to draw public attention to the plight of certain animal species threatened by humans.

The choice of date is not coincidental — it coincides with the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. The aim of the day is therefore to raise the status of animals and improve their welfare around the world.

The occasion recognises the positive impact animals have on our lives, but to stop at this motivation would be reductive — it would merely be a variation of the utilitarian view that has always characterised our relationship with the other creatures with whom we share the planet.

Animals deserve to be loved, or at the very least respected, regardless of the benefits they offer to humans. Our species has always considered it natural to dispose of animals as it sees fit, by virtue of an assumed superiority.

This axiom might be called into question: if we take intelligence as our benchmark, there is no doubt that we are the most intelligent animals on the planet. Other creatures, however, possess different forms of intelligence and other distinctive qualities.

Who knows whether the peregrine falcon would give up its breathtaking dives in exchange for a higher IQ, or whether a sperm whale would prefer to leave the ocean depths and move to a metropolis. A deer has never written the Divine Comedy, true — but it has never dropped atomic bombs on other animals either.

Over the years the celebration has taken on an international dimension and involves everyone, regardless of nationality, religion, faith or political ideology. In many cities, events and demonstrations will take place aimed at focusing attention on animal rights.

Animals are different from us, yet so similar — just like us, they want to live and ensure their offspring survive, each seeking its own particular form of happiness.