Communication (62-67)

How do humans primarily communicate?

Primarily through written and verbal language

How do animals convey information?

Through their behavior

What are examples of the information that animals communicate?

Threatening a predator or attracting a mate

What is communication?

The transfer of information from one individual to another where the information influences the fitness of one or both animals

Do all animals engage in some sort of communication?

Yes

What is communication used for?

Sharing information about themselves and the world around them

Can animals communicate with animals of other species?

Yes, some can

What are the two participants involved in comunication called?

Senders and receivers

Who is the sender in communication?

The animal that is engaging in the communication behavior

Who is the receiver in communication?

The animal that perceives the communication

What happens when a sender communicates a predator nearby with an alarm call?

The intended receive will respond by avoiding the predator

How does eavesdropping come into play for communicatiON?

Animals of the same or different species can eavesdrop on communication and respond accordingly

What is an example of a common household animal that can communicate across species?

Dogs

Dogs can understand a lot of ___________ ___________ and pick up on ________ language

Human language; Body

What is an example of dogs learning body language?

Learning to look in the direction of where someone points

How can communication be beneficial across species?

They can work cooperatively and communicate to achieve a mutual goal

What is an example of a mutually beneficial outcome as a result of cooperative communication across species?

Greater Honeyguides leading honey badgers to bee hives so that honey badgers can tear the hives and the honeyguides can eat leftover pieces

How does the great honeyguide communicate with honey badgers?

It has a distinct call and wing flapping behavior

What does the calling behavior and flapping of wings in the great honeyguide function for?

Leading honey badgers to bee hives

The greater honeyguide is what type of animal?

A bird

Why does the greater honeyguide need the honey badger?

It can’t open bee hives on its own

Why is the honey badger useful for the greater honeyguide?

It has adapted to tear through hives to obtain honey and bee larva

What does the honey badger do for the greater honeyguide?

It tears open hives and tosses aside pieces which the greater honeyguide can eat

What is the scientific name of the greater honeyguide?

Indicator indicator

What is the scientific name of the honey badger?

Mellivora capensis

Humans have also _________ what the greater honeyguide behavior means and the bird will ________ the help of nearby humans

Learned; solicit

Where are diana monkeys found?

Africa

What is the scientific name for diana monkeys?

Cercopithecus diana

What is the scientific name for a hawk?

Stephanoaetus coronatus

What is the scientific name for the leopard?

Panthera pardus

What is the scientific name for the Yellow-casqued hornbill?

Ceratogymna elata

How do diana monkeys communicate across species?

They produce specific alarm sounds that differ depending on what animal they see and other animals flee based on those alarms

What two animals are noted for resulting in different alarm calls in a diana monkey?

Hawks and leopards

The Yellow-casqued hornbill flees when they a Diana Monkey’s alarm for what predator?

Hawks

What animal do Yellow-casqued hornbills NOT flee when they hear an alarm call from the diana monkey for?

Leopards

Why are Yellow-casqued hornbills less alarmed by a leopard alarm call from a diana monkey?

Hawks are more likely than leopards to predate on them

What have researches attempted to do in long-term communication studies?

Teach animals to communicate internal feelings

What methods have researchers used for teaching animals to communicate internal feelings in long-term studies?

Vocalizations, modified sign language, and assisted technologies

What animals are noted for being able to mimic human words but CANT convey meaning with humans peech?

Whales and dolphins

Whales and dolphins had their own structured forms of what in regard to communication?

Vocalization

DO scientists understand whale and dolphin vocalizations?

No, they are still trying to understand and decode it

What is the name of the popular social media dog who is famous for self-expression?

Bunny

What color is Bunny., the social media dog?

White head and feed, with black torso, legs, and spots on head

What is Bunny famous for?

Expressing herself by pressing pre-recorded buttons

What has recent research found about how often a dog uses self-expression buttons?

There is a wide variety in how frequently it is used

What connection has recent research found out about the manner in which dogs press self-expression buttons?

They non-random and intentional

What do dogs learn from pressing buttons?

They associate an outcome with the button press similar to operant conditioning

Further research on dogs ability for self expression is being conducted to determine what?

If dogs can describe abstract objects or create new meanings

What is an example of how domesticated animals like cats and dogs can recognizee human words?

They learn their name

By what process do domesticated animals like cats and dogs learn their name?

Association

What famous grey parrow is notable for learning and pronouncing words?

“Alex”

What is the scientific name for the grey parrot?

Psittacus erithacus

What was alex able to learn?

How to pronounce words and label objects, express his needs, and understand the concept of zero

How many words did Alex the grey parrot learn?

More than 100

What have critics argued about Alex’s abilities?

That he didn't learn the language but learned operant conditioning

What evidence have critics used to claim that Alex learned operant conditioning rather than language?

The inability to train other grey parrots to the same degree as Alex

Regardless of the extent to which animals can learn and communicate with human language, what have we learned as a result of research into animals communication abilities?

The intelligence and evolution of their communication

What is a signal in animal communication?

Behavior that conveys specific information to a receiver

Signals are both _________ and ________

Honest and reliable

What does the characterization of signals are honest and reliable actually mean?

They convey information in a consistent way every time

What does a signal cause a receiver to do?

Change their behavior ina way that benefits both the sender and receiver

Signals benefit who?

The sender and receiver

Do signals always involve behavior?

No, sometimes they can be purely visual

What is an example of a signal that doesn’t involve behavior?

Bright colors on a dart frog signals that they are poisonous and should be avoided

What frog is noted for being brightly colored to signal it’s poisonous?

Dart Frog

What is a cue?

What animals use as a guide for when and how to behave

Who do cues benefit?

Only the receiver

Are cues always intentional?

No they can be intentional or not.

What is an example of how owls utilize cues?

If a mouse makes noise while foraging an owl is cued to the mouse’s location

How can physical landmarks act as cues?

They can guide animals to where food or their nest is located

What astronomical feature can be considered a cue?How?

The sun since it can help animals determine the appropriate time to eat and sleep and provides navigational information ( This likely extends to stars and other astronomical features )

Do cues evolve to serve a communicative purpose?

No

While cues don't evolve for a specific purpose, what is true about cues in regard to animal’s ability to understand cues?

They can learn or be born with the innate language of a cue’s meaning

What is the leading hypothesis regarding signaling systems?

They evolved from animal’s abilities to sense cues

Are signals always used positively?

No sometimes they are deceptive

How can bird utilize alarm calls deceptively?

Using the call to cause other birds to flee in order to maximize available resources.

What happens when an animal uses signals deceptively consistently?

Their signals lose efficacy and trust

There is a selective pressure for animals to use signals in what way?

Honestly in terms of their represented meaning

What is Mimicry?

A form of dishonest signaling where the sender pretends to look like or behave in a way to a receiver that does not represent reality

How do insects display mimicry?

Many insects mimic ants or bees ot

What is the goal of mimicry?

Hide by looking like another animal or to allow for ambush attacks

Bee flies are part of what family?

Bombdyliidae

How do bee flies demnstrate mimicry?

They look like bees

What advantage do bee flies gain by mimicking bees?

Animals become afraid of them because of bees painful stings, but also infiltrate bee nest/hives and have their young raised by bees

Mimicking bees to infiltrate hives can be described as _____________ the bee species

parasitize

What is one of the most widespread form of communication in the animal kingdom?

Body language

What is body language?

A form of nonverbal communication on which animals rely heavily on to understand other animals and their environment