Animal Communication

The mysteries of animal communication are still very far from being solved. And yet humans are gradually gaining a greater understanding of the many ways in which animals send messages to one another. From bird song to the dances of haneybees, the variety of animal communication is truly astounding. For specialists in animal behaviour, the vital question remains; do animals use language?

On a rainy night, a frog concert fills the darkness. A forest clearing echoes with the beautiful song of a nighttingale. The eerie howling of a coyote breaks the stillness of the dry and dusty desert ... The sounds of the natural world are all around us, evidence of the richness of the animal kingdom. These sounds, which may seem strange, humourous or even threatening, may be coded messages from animals. But is there such a thing as animal language? This is a tricky question to answer, even for experts in animal behaviour.

Scientists define language as a form of symbolic and creative communication. It is not just a succession of signals aiming for an immediate effect. Unlike humans, animals generally communicate only in three specific situations; to exchange information about sources of food, to strengthen the bonds between partners during the mating season or to call for help when danger threatens.

Dancing For Joy

In some animals, communication takes place on such a sophisticated level that researchers have been forced to conclude that language is being used. For example, an amazing type of communication takes place among honeybees. When one of them discovers a source of food, it returns to the hive where it passes this information on to the other worker bees. This is done by means of certain dances, as the Austrian naturalist and zoologist Karl von Frisch discovered during the 1920s.

If the food is located less than 100m from the hive, the bee will dance around in a circle to attract attention. The location of more distant food sources is conveyed through a waggling dance, in the form of a figure of eight. The speed of the dance indicates the distance of the food, and the number of rounds decreases as the distance becomes greater. For example, 40 rounds indicates 100m, while 24 means more than 500m. The orientation of the dance symbolises the direction of the food, while the dance's intensity and duration gives information on the richness of the food to be found. Finally, the richness of the food to be bound. Finally, the dancer also reports to its fellow-workers about the equality of the food, for they only need to sniff the messenger to recognise the scent of the blossoms. Once the message has been understood, the bees head for the food, and a new group of nectar-collectors will pass on the vital information. The honeybee's communication skill ensures that, within about an hour, some 10,000 insects can arrive on site.

Imitating Humans

For humans, the most amazing animals are those that can imitate our speech. The parrot is a good exaple. Because they are so good at imitations, these birds love to repeat almost any sound they hear. In fact, when someone repeats something that we have just said, we generaly compare them to a parrot. Butt does the parrot's wonderful ability represent a genuine form of communication?

To answer this question, American psychologist Irene Pepperberg taught an African grey parrot (Pittacus erithacus) from Gabon some very simple words; for example, 'cork' for his favourite toy, or 'carrot' for his favourite food. When she offered the parrot an object, she waited for the bird to say the correct word before she put it into his beak as a reward. In this way, the bird quickly learned a dozen words or so, and even grew capable of demanding an object which he couldn't see.

Pepperberg extended the programme when the parrot started speaking real sentences, such as 'wanna do tricks'. Eventually, the parrot learned to distinguish between over 300 objects by form, size and colour. In four out of five cases, the bird gave the correct answer to such questions as 'What is yellow?' or "What colour is this box?'.

Just like the parrot, members of the animal kingdom can make themselves heard in an amazing variety of ways. Every squeak, neigh and squawk probably contains some kind of message that can be understood by other members of a particular species. One of the most, fascinating ranges of sound are the powerful noises - often referred to as songs - of the great whales, the travellers of the world's oceans. The songs of the humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) are particularly impressive. These animals can sing for over half an hour without interruption, but what separates them from other species is the great variety of their sounds; a misture of barking, squeaking, canary-like whistling, rasping, snorting, bawling, humming and trilling are continually combined in new ways. Instead of a monotonous refrain, there are melodious verses, whose meaning is still unknown. For centuries, seafarers believed that these mysterious sounds were the songs of mermaids or of the Sirens of the Greek myths - beautiful women who called to sailors and lured them onto deadly jagged rocks.

Because there are so many species of birds, interpreting their song presents a real challenge to scientists. In looking at the ways in which birds communicate, researchers have isolated the three levels on which birds identify themselves; the species-related level, the regional level and the individual level. The song of the nightingale, for example, has several sections some of them alluring, others warning. Other parts of its song, however, are either individual compositions or imitations of other birds. The nightingale even makes the sounds of other animal species, for the bird is a master of mimicry.

Tha Basic Of Language

To decide whether animal communication is really language, scientists must identify the basic features of language. One of the leaders in this area was the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913), who founded the modern study of linguistics.

According to Saussure, language is present if signals are transported on a level which he called 'double articulation'. This means that language is composed of a limited number of useless units - for example, vowels and consonants - which make up the alphabet. These can, however, be converted into an endless number of useful units, which make up out vocabulary. By using several different language signals, we can describe reality. For example, to describe a stretch of road, we might use the terms path, street, highway or lane. It is also possible to use one particular sign - for example, the blade of a knife or a blade of grass - to name different objects. How ever, the chief characteristic of animal communication systems is that every signal corresponds to only one message, and vice versa. Even very intelligent primates such as chimpanzees, gorillas or orang-utans have to extend their vocabulary when they want to communicate or understand something new.