Communication of Birds & Animals

Presented by: Group 3

 Animal communication is any behaviour on the part of one animal that has an effect on the current or future behaviour of another animal. The study of animal communication sometimes called Zoosemiotics. Metacommunications: signals that modify the meaning of subsequent signals. The best known example is the play face and tail signals in dogs, which indicate that a subsequent aggressive signal is part of a play fight rather than a serious aggressive episode.

Animal communication Introduction

Forms of communication

Gesture Facial expression Gaze following Vocalization Olfactory communication Bioluminescence Electrocommunication

Functions of communication
Agonistic interaction Mating rituals Ownership/territorial Food-related signals Alarm calls Meta-communications

Interpretation of animal communication

Excitement Anticipation Playfulness Contentment/enjoyment Relaxation or anxiety Questioning another animal or a human as to intentions Tentative role assessment on meeting another animal Reassurance ("I'm hoping to be friendly, are you?") Brief acknowledgement ("I hear you", or "I'm aware and responsive if you want my attention") Statement of interest ("I want that (food/toy/activity), if you're willing") Uncertainty/apprehension Submissive placation (if worried by a more dominant animal)

 Intraspecies communication: The majority of animal communication occurs within a single species, and this is the context in which it has been most intensively studied. Most of the forms and functions of communication described above are relevant to intra-species communication.

 Interspecies communication Many examples of communication take place between members of different species. Animals communicate to other animals with various signs: visual, sound, echolocation, body language, and smell.

 Prey to predator: If a prey animal moves or makes a noise in such a way that a predator can detect and capture it, that fits the definition of "communication" given above. This type of communication is known as interceptive eavesdropping, where a predator intercepts the message being conveyed to conspecifics.

 Predator to prey: Some predators communicate to prey in ways that change their behaviour and make them easier to catch, in effect deceiving them. A well-known example is the angler fish, which has a fleshy growth protruding from its forehead and dangling in front of its jaws; smaller fish try to take the lure, and in so doing are perfectly placed for the angler fish to eat them.

Animal Systems of Communication

Birds have two types of sound signals--calls and songs Bird calls consist of one or more short notes and seem to be instinctive responses to danger, nesting, flocking and a few other basic situations. The English sparrow has three flight calls-- one used just before takeoff, another during flight, and one just before landing at a nesting site. Sparrows have two types of danger calls, one to announce that a predator is nearby--like an owl in a tree-- and the other to announce that a predator is soaring overhead. These calls seem intended to coordinate group activity in specific situations. The meanings of these signs constitute a small, finite set which can't be increased. And bird calls cannot be varied to produce variations of meaning.

 Bird songs are used primarily by males to attract mates or establish territory. Bird songs are limited to these and only these functions. Although bird songs are longer than bird calls, their internal elements aren't separable into meaningful units and cannot be rearranged to produce new songs.

 In the 1960's Karl von Frisch discovered that the Italian honeybee performs three types of dances on the wall of the hive to communicate to other bees the source of nectar.

 The round dance is performed to indicate that the source of nectar is within 20 feet of the hive; the richness of the source is indicated by intensity of movement and by the number of repetition; direction from the hive is not indicated.

 The sickle dance is performed to indicate that the source of nectar is within 20-60 feet from the hive; again, the richness of the source is indicated by intensity of movement; the angle with respect to gravity denotes the direction in relation to the sun.

The tail-wagging dance is performed to indicate that the source of nectar is beyond 60 feet from the hive (80 feet in the Austrian honeybee). It imparts all the information of the sickle dance plus indicates the precise distance by the number of repetitions per minute--the slower the repetition the farther the distance.

 Elephant Communication system

 Touching is an important form of communication among elephants. Individuals greet one another by stroking or wrapping around each other's trunks. Entwining trunks are also made during mild competition.

 Elephants also communicate with visual displays, mostly in agonistic situations. They will try to appear more threatening by raising their heads and spreading their ears. They may also add to the display by shaking their heads and snapping their ears, as well as throwing dust and vegetation. Elephants are usually bluffing when performing these actions. Excited elephants may additionally raise their trunks. Submissive elephants will lower their heads and trunks, as well as flatten their ears against their necks, while those that accept a challenge will position their ears in a V shape.

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