KAROO NEWS - In the International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences article “The Psychology of Verbal Communication,” Robert M. Krauss explains, “A species’ survival depends critically upon its ability to communicate effectively, and the quality of its social life is determined in large measure by how and what it can communicate.”
Species rely on verbal and non-verbal communication to get their messages across to other species. For humans, this might seem obvious because of our advanced understanding of language. For animals, communication is instinctive.
Animals communicate using signals, which can include visual; auditory or sound-based; chemical involving pheromones; tactile, touch-based or even telepathic cues. These forms of communication help them find mates, establish dominance, defend their territory, coordinate group behaviour and care for young.
Just like humans, animals have different ways to communicate happiness, anger, fear, love and other emotions. Scientists have also found that when it comes to acoustic communication, animals from different territories also communicate in different dialects. One study by Carey, Bjorn titled “Whales Found to Speak in Dialects” found that blue whales produce different patterns of pulses, tones and pitches depending on where they’re from.
Here are some communication cues you may have not known about from certain animals:
Visual cues from certain animals
- It is a very well-known fact that peacocks use their elaborate tails during courting rituals.
- Cobras inflate their hoods to scare other creatures.
- Fireflies glow to attract mates.
Auditory or sound-based communication cues
- Elephants use their trunks to talk to other herds over long distances.
- Male whales use their song to communicate with females.
- Wolves howl to call to other wolves in the pack.
Touch-based communication cues
- Baboons use touch to show affection and grooming each other is a very popular ritual.
- Dogs lick their pups to bond, clean and stimulate their development. Dogs are also known to be very affectionate towards humans in the same manner.
- Horses kick other horses to establish dominance. They kick humans too when they feel alarmed or threatened.
Chemical communication cues
- Cats rub against objects to mark them with their scent, they also urinate on certain objects to mark their territory.
- Ants use pheromone trails to follow each other according to this study.
- Skunks use their signature smell to deter predators.
Animals communicating with humans
Most domesticated animals have found ways to communicate with humans. Cats meow at humans to signal whether they are hungry or need something from their owners. They also purr as a sign of contentment, affection or comfort. Dogs bark when they are excited, scared or signalling danger. They wag their tails when they’re excited and they lick as a sign of affection.
Dogs and cats can be trained to understand their owner’s commands. This does not mean they understand the language, they are just experts in figuring out their owner’s intentions. Dogs and cats can also understand the tone of voice to determine intention.
The Bioacoustics Research Program at Cornell Lab of Ornithology uncovered that birds such as parrots, that are able to “talk”, are only mimicking the words they hear and they do not mean anything to them.