Animal communication. Interesting facts about the ways animals communicate

People always communicate with each other, this is how we learn and convey various information: news, instructions, desires, feelings and sensations. However, not only people, but also animals communicate with each other, although they do it differently than we do.

For example, tree beetles Grinders use their own “Morse code.” They hit their heads on the wood, which leads to the formation of an echo that is heard by the rest of the beetles, in particular the females. In some nations, grinders are called “death clocks” because the sounds they make are similar to the ticking of a clock.

Animals are also able to communicate with each other using the language of smell. Many animals have special glands that produce substances with a specific odor. Basically, in this way of communication, animals inform each other about the boundaries of their territory.

In the tropical rainforests of South Asia you can find frogs of the species Huia cavitympanum - Kalimantan cascade girl. They communicate with each other using ultrasound. Frogs create and perceive sounds with frequencies up to 38 kilohertz. According to zoologists, amphibians have moved to this level of communication because of the area in which they live - among the noise of waterfalls and the splashing of water, low-frequency sounds are very difficult to distinguish.

How do mute animals, such as fish, communicate? Of course with gestures. Here coral salmon uses its fins for communication. Very often this type of communication is used during hunting. The fish use gestures to show where to swim, signal when the prey is trapped, etc. In addition to hunting, gestures also help in defense.

Here are some more interesting facts related to animal communication.

A hen begins to communicate with her chick while it is still in the egg. About a day before the egg hatches, you can hear a quiet squeaking sound. To calm the chick, the mother hen calms it with her clucking sounds.

Cats use only hissing and sign language to communicate, and never meow at each other. They use the word “meow” only in the presence of a person.

As it turns out, ground squirrels have the most complex language of communication among animals. With their squeaking sounds of varying tones, rhythms, and timbres, they are able to describe an approaching predator, its size, appearance, structure, how far away it is, and even what species it belongs to.

53. Communication in animals. Animal language and methods of studying it. Examples of direct decoding of animal language.

Animal communication and language

The social organization of animals as a whole is the sum total of the interactions between members of the community.

Communication is the essence of all social behavior. It is difficult to imagine social behavior without the exchange of information, or a system of information transmission that would not be in some sense public. When an animal performs an action that changes the behavior of another individual, we can say that information has been transferred. This is a very broad definition, which also includes those cases when, for example, a calmly feeding or, conversely, an anxiously alert animal, only by its posture influences the behavior of other members of the community. Therefore, ethologists who study the process of communication ask the question: is the signal transmitted “intentionally” or does it only reflect the physiological and emotional state of the animal?

Can such social animals as monkeys, dolphins, wolves or ants convey to each other accurate information, for example, about what point in space the food source is located and how it is more convenient to reach this point? Studying the limits of the communicative capabilities of animals is one of the most interesting and controversial problems in ethology.

HOW SIGNALS WORK

It is known that different groups of animals are more or less specialized in the sensory modality of the signals used, depending on the degree of development of certain sense organs in them. Thus, tactile communication dominates the interactions of many invertebrates, such as the blind worker termites that never leave their underground tunnels, or the earthworms that crawl out of their burrows at night to mate. In invertebrates, the sense of touch is closely related to chemical sensitivity, since specialized tactile organs, such as the antennae of insects, are often equipped with chemoreceptors. Social insects convey a large amount of information through a combination of tactile and chemical signals.

Tactile communication due to its nature, it is only possible at close range. The long antennae of cockroaches and crayfish allow them to explore the world within a radius of one body length, but this is almost the limit of their sense of touch. Other sensory systems - vision, hearing and smell - provide communication over a considerable distance. Sound and smell have the added benefit of being able to overcome natural obstacles such as dense vegetation.

Sound signals. Long-distance signals are usually screams. Birds of open landscapes (larks, meadow pipits) sing, flying high above their territory.

Chemical signals especially well developed in insects and mammals. Butterfly pheromones are picked up by males 4–5 km downwind and are the most persistent of insect pheromones.

Visual cues can operate only at a relatively short distance, within visibility. The exception is simple alarm signals, in the form of white spots on the body, such as the tails of deer and rabbits, visible from a great distance. Visual signals also include widespread identification marks, many of which operate on a “yes or not” principle.

In natural conditions, signals are often combined into effective combinations, combining, for example, both sound and visual stimuli. A good example is the mating rituals of birds of paradise, which include characteristic postures, displays of "ritual" feathers, jumping, calling and flapping wings.

Thus, the signals used by animals are very numerous. However, all their diversity in different species fits into approximately 10 main categories:

signals intended for sexual partners and possible sexual competitors;

signals that ensure the exchange of information between parents and offspring;

cries of alarm, often perceived by animals of different species;

4) messages about the availability of food;

5) signals that help maintain contact between social animals, for example, the roll call of jackals or the calls of flocking birds;

“intention” signals that precede the commission of some reaction: for example, before taking off, birds make special movements with their wings;

signals associated with the expression of aggression;

signals of peacefulness;

signals of frustration.

Ethologists have expressed the idea that some signals may act as triggers and others as pumps. Alarm calls, for example, are constant for each species. They act as triggers, dramatically changing the behavior of an individual. The “pump” principle is said to occur when the influences of signals gradually accumulate and change the likelihood that the recipient will respond. For example, male pigeons, when courting for several days, repeat characteristic “bows” many times before making the desired impression on the female.

ANIMAL LANGUAGE AND METHODS OF STUDYING IT

For a long time, the vast majority of researchers believed that the presence of language is a unique property of a person. Since there is a tendency to define language in such a way that it appears as the exclusive privilege of people, this introduces certain biases into research. There are so many definitions of language.

It is not easy to define the concept of language from an objective point of view, since it is characterized by many necessary features. For example, we may agree that language is a means of communication, but obviously not all means of communication are language. Human language usually exists in the form of speech, but this is not always the case (Morse code, tom-tom languages, signals from smoky fires and semaphores, and the “whistle” languages ​​of some peoples are usually considered as auxiliary linguistic means). At the same time, the symbolic language used in communication between the deaf and mute is a grammatically organized sign system. Human language uses symbols, but some aspects of bee communication are also symbolic. Humans acquire language during a specific sensitive period of development, but the same is observed in some birds when they learn the song of their species.

Using language, you can convey information not only about momentary situations, but also about those that are remote in time and space. However, some alarm signals in animals have the same properties.

Man's use of grammatical rules is an aspect of language that would seem to clearly set him apart from the communication systems of animals. However, thanks to some studies on chimpanzees, this position is no longer indisputable.

Undoubtedly, human language is much more complex than the language of animals. But does this mean that there is a qualitative difference between human communication and animal communication, or is it all a matter of the degree of development of this communication? Many researchers have tried to answer this difficult question, using fundamentally different approaches and methods.

ATTEMPTS TO DIRECTLY DECODE ANIMAL LANGUAGE

DANCE OF THE BEES. One of the most outstanding achievements in this field, apparently, should be considered the discovery and detailed study of the symbolic “dance language” of the honey bee by Frisch, who received the Nobel Prize for this research. The very fact of the ability of bees to transmit information about the location of mass flowering and the presence of stereotypical repetitive movements in scout bees was recorded by other scientists, but Frisch was the first to study this phenomenon specifically as a language. He showed that bees use remote guidance techniques of varying degrees of specificity: a simple circle dance conveys information to “look within 100 m” and encourages workers to leave the hive. If it is necessary to mobilize the bees for a long-distance search, the scout performs a wagging dance inside the hive, on the honeycombs. In it, the angle formed between the straight line of the dancer's run on the honeycomb and the direction of gravity signals the direction of flight (and the observer bees translate the angle of the dance in relation to gravity again into an angle in relation to the Sun). The distance to the food source correlates with 11 parameters of the dance, for example, its duration, tempo, number of belly wags, and duration of sound signals.

Thus, in the words of O. Manning, “the world was forced to admit that not only humans can transmit information in symbolic form - such a modest creature as a bee can do this.” However, Frisch's discovery was not accepted unconditionally. Over time, a heated debate erupted over whether bees really transmit information using a remote guidance system, or whether they use odorous substances in some form. The ideal resolution to this debate would be the results obtained using a robotic bee, a model made to perform dance under human control. The first successful attempt of this kind was carried out by N.G. Lopatina, she managed to enter into a dialogue with a family of bees who perceived the “dance” of the dancer bee model with information about the distance to the feeders.

This confirmed the very fact that bees use the “dance language.” The decoding of this language has not yet been completed.

New, previously unknown parameters and components of the dance were also identified. "Scaring" dances have become known when there is a threat of insecticide poisoning.

At the same time, there are examples indicating the limitations of the language of bees. Thus, Frisch noted that it does not contain the word “up” (“...flowers do not grow in the sky”), and bees can transmit information about the movement of the feeder only in the horizontal plane. He established this in an experiment where the hive was at the bottom of the radio tower and the feeder at the top. It was shown to the scout bees, but they were unable to mobilize the foragers. According to many modern ethologists and psycholinguists, this indicates the “closedness” of the dance language, while human languages ​​are an open system. Possessing the so-called “productivity” property, they are able to create an unlimited number of messages about anything. Note, however, that if hypothetical observers offered a person something tempting by placing him in the fifth (or... nth) dimension, our language might not have enough means to convey such information.

LANGUAGE OF EAST AFRICAN VERVETENS.

Another, now classic, result of deciphering natural animal signals was obtained by T. Struesaker, who described symbolic acoustic signals in East African vervet monkeys . The monkeys made different-sounding calls in response to the appearance of three predators: leopards, eagles and snakes. At the same time, the signals emitted when a leopard appeared forced the vervet monkeys to climb the trees, alarm about the eagle - to peer into the sky and escape in the bushes, and at the sounds indicating the appearance of a snake, the monkeys stood on their hind legs and peered into the grass. Thus, for the first time, it was clearly shown that they use different signs to mark different objects or different types of danger.

There were, however, more skeptical interpretations: alarm calls may simply serve as signals of general readiness, forcing animals to look around, and if they see a predator, they react to what they saw, not to what they heard.

naturallanguageschimpanzeeAnddolphins. It has been noted that some of the sounds chimpanzees make may vary depending on the type of food or the specific danger. For example, the sound "hoo" is made only when seeing a small snake, an unknown moving creature, or a dead animal.

The analyzed cases of successful “decoding” of semantic signals can be explained by extremely well-chosen objects, although so dissimilar to each other: we're talking about about relatively clearly defined individual signals (bee dance figures, vervet monkey calls) that correspond to clear situations (searching for a point in space, the appearance of an eagle in the sky or a snake in the grass). Such situations can serve as a key to deciphering the “speech” of animals. In most cases, it is quite difficult to determine the meaning, for example, of the most complex acoustic signals of dolphins or wolves, as well as the rapid movements of the “gesture language” of ants. Such difficulties are comparable to the situation of a linguist who has fragments of manuscripts in an unknown language and no key to them.

A researcher of acoustic communication of wolves noted the wolf’s amazing ability to discriminate insignificant shades of sound and believed that it could not just be a game of nature. The author was able to identify several constant signals (for example, the “sound of loneliness”, when one of the members of the pack is isolated and seeks to join the rest), and also found out that wolves can convey specific information by small changes in individual parameters of the voice.

Numerous attempts have been made to decipher the language of dolphins. One of the first and most famous experiments was carried out by W. Evans and J. Bastian with a pair of dolphins, who had to tell each other in what order to press the pedals to get a fish. Initially, both dolphins were kept together, and each of them learned to press the left pedal if the light bulb began to blink, and the right pedal if it glowed steadily. They were then placed in a pool divided in half so that they could not see each other and communicated only through acoustic signals. The light bulb was visible to only one of the dolphins, and the pedals were in both sections of the pool. The animals received a reward when both pressed the pedals correctly. The success achieved by dolphins in thousands of trials speaks to their ability to convey specific information.

The interpretation of these experiments is still controversial, and the data presented indicate significant obstacles to deciphering natural communication systems.

As you know, animals cannot talk like people. But everyone also knows that animals can make sounds.

Animal sounds are signals that express their state, desires, and feelings. The roar of a lion can be heard throughout the entire area - with this the king of beasts loudly declares his presence. The leader of the elephants, the oldest and smartest in the herd, blows an inviting trumpet with his trunk raised, gathering the elephants for a trek through the jungle in search of good pastures. The elk lets out a loud cry as he goes to fight his rival for the mate. During the mating season, pigeons coo gently, storks coo and dance, black grouse make loud noises, and nightingales stage recitals to outshine their rivals. Male crickets attract females with their chirping.

The magical trills of birds are, as a rule, the songs of males. And they often sing not to attract females (as is usually believed), but to warn that the territory is under protection.

Sound signaling exists in all types of animals. For example, chickens make 13 different sounds, frogs - 6, roosters - 15, tits - 90, rooks - 120, pigs - 23, crows - up to 300, dolphins - 32, foxes - 36, monkeys - more than 40, horses - about 100 sounds. These sounds convey the general emotional and mental state of animals - search for food, anxiety, aggressiveness, joy of communication.

Even the fish are not silent! They make many different and characteristic sounds, using them to communicate in a flock. The signals they emit change depending on the state of the fish, the environment, and their actions. American scientists have found that fish cough, sneeze and wheeze if the water temperature does not correspond to the conditions in which they should be. The sounds produced by fish are sometimes similar to rumbling, squeaking, barking, croaking and grunting (in particular, in the sciena), and in the cinglossus fish - an extraordinary set of sounds reminiscent of the bass of an organ, the croaking of toads, the ringing of bells and the sounds of a harp.

But signals and sounds are only one way of communication between animals. They have other ways of transmitting information to each other.

In addition to sounds, there is a kind of “language” of gestures and facial “language”. The grin of the muzzle or the expressiveness of the animal's eyes vary greatly depending on its mood - calm, aggressive or playful.

Chimpanzees use rich facial expressions to communicate. For example, a tightly clenched jaw with exposed gums means a threat; frown - intimidation; a smile, especially with the tongue hanging out, is friendliness; pulling back the lower lip until teeth and gums show - a peaceful smile. By pouting her lips, a mother chimpanzee expresses her love for her baby. Frequent yawning means confusion or difficulty. Chimpanzees often yawn when they notice someone is watching them.

The tail of animals is also an expression of their emotional state. Cats hold it with a “pipe” when they see a dog or during a fight, and if a cat waves its tail left and right, it means it is furious. In dogs, on the contrary, their tail wags when they meet their owner, expressing immense joy. And when feeling guilty, the dog tucks its tail.

The “language” of smells is widespread in the animal world. Animals of the feline, mustelid, and canine families “mark” the boundaries of the territory where they live. By smell, animals determine the maturity of individuals, track prey, avoid enemies or dangerous places - traps and traps. Insects use scent to attract individuals of the opposite sex. To do this, they secrete substances - pheromones (attractants) in the form of odorous gases or liquids that are formed in special glands on the abdomen or in the mouth.

Voles communicate using scent marks, much like dogs. Unfortunately, their urine emits ultraviolet radiation, and this radiation is clearly visible to the main enemies of voles - the kestrel and other birds of prey.

Animals use gestures and movements to communicate in the same way as humans. Gorillas beat their chests - this is how they warn their relatives of danger. The kangaroo, noticing danger, begins to drum on the ground with its tail or hind legs. During the breeding season, many animals and birds organize real mating dances. And each species has its own dance, unlike the others! The scout bee uses dance to tell her fellow tribesmen where the new source of nectar is and encourages them to fly after it.

Even color in animals is used as an element of communication. In the spring, during the breeding season, the throat of many species of frogs and toads becomes brightly colored. This way they not only attract a partner, but also give a visual signal warning that the territory is occupied.

There are other methods of contact between animals associated with bioelectromagnetic fields and acoustic signals: electromagnetic location in the Nile elephant fish, ultrasonic echolocation in bats, high-frequency sound signals - whistles in dolphins, infrasound signaling in elephants. A person can detect these types of signals only with the help of instruments. And we still know very little about animal language. At least, we cannot translate much of what they “say” to each other and we do not always know well exactly how individuals of a particular species communicate.

Animal sounds are signals that express their state, desires, and feelings. The roar of a lion can be heard throughout the entire area - with this the king of beasts loudly declares his presence. The leader of the elephants, the oldest and smartest in the herd, blows an inviting trumpet with his trunk raised, gathering the elephants for a trek through the jungle in search of good pastures. The elk lets out a loud cry as he goes to fight his rival for the mate. During the mating season, pigeons coo gently, storks coo and dance, black grouse make loud noises, and nightingales stage recitals to outshine their rivals. Male crickets attract females with their chirping.

The magical trills of birds are, as a rule, the songs of males. And they often sing not to attract females (as is usually believed), but to warn that the territory is under protection.

Sound signaling exists in all types of animals. For example, chickens make 13 different sounds, frogs - 6, roosters - 15, tits - 90, rooks - 120, pigs - 23, crows - up to 300, dolphins - 32, foxes - 36, monkeys - more than 40, horses - about 100 sounds. These sounds convey the general emotional and mental state of animals - search for food, anxiety, aggressiveness, joy of communication.

Even the fish are not silent! They make many different and characteristic sounds, using them to communicate in a flock. The signals they emit change depending on the state of the fish, the environment, and their actions. American scientists have found that fish cough, sneeze and wheeze if the water temperature does not correspond to the conditions in which they should be. The sounds produced by fish are sometimes similar to rumbling, squeaking, barking, croaking and grunting (in particular, in the sciena), and in the cinglossus fish - an extraordinary set of sounds reminiscent of the bass of an organ, the croaking of toads, the ringing of bells and the sounds of a harp.

But signals and sounds are only one way of communication between animals. They have other ways of transmitting information to each other.

In addition to sounds, there is a kind of “language” of gestures and facial “language”. The grin of the muzzle or the expressiveness of the animal's eyes vary greatly depending on its mood - calm, aggressive or playful.

Chimpanzees use rich facial expressions to communicate. For example, a tightly clenched jaw with exposed gums means a threat; frown - intimidation; a smile, especially with the tongue hanging out, is friendliness; pulling back the lower lip until teeth and gums show - a peaceful smile. By pouting her lips, a mother chimpanzee expresses her love for her baby. Frequent yawning means confusion or difficulty. Chimpanzees often yawn when they notice someone is watching them.

The tail of animals is also an expression of their emotional state. Cats hold it with a “pipe” when they see a dog or during a fight, and if a cat waves its tail left and right, it means it is furious. In dogs, on the contrary, their tail wags when they meet their owner, expressing immense joy. And when feeling guilty, the dog tucks its tail.

The “language” of smells is widespread in the animal world. Animals of the feline, mustelid, and canine families “mark” the boundaries of the territory where they live. By smell, animals determine the maturity of individuals, track prey, avoid enemies or dangerous places - traps and traps. Insects use scent to attract individuals of the opposite sex. To do this, they secrete substances - pheromones in the form of odorous gases or liquids that are formed in special glands on the abdomen or in the mouth.

Voles communicate using scent marks, much like dogs. Unfortunately, their urine emits ultraviolet radiation, and this radiation is clearly visible to the main enemies of voles - the kestrel and other birds of prey.

Animals use gestures and movements to communicate in the same way as humans. Gorillas beat their chests - this is how they warn their relatives of danger. The kangaroo, noticing danger, begins to drum on the ground with its tail or hind legs. During the breeding season, many animals and birds organize real mating dances. And each species has its own dance, unlike the others! The scout bee uses dance to tell her fellow tribesmen where the new source of nectar is and encourages them to fly after it.

Even color in animals is used as an element of communication. In the spring, during the breeding season, the throat of many species of frogs and toads becomes brightly colored. This way they not only attract a partner, but also give a visual signal warning that the territory is occupied.

There are other methods of contact between animals associated with bioelectromagnetic fields and acoustic signals: electromagnetic location in the Nile elephant fish, ultrasonic echolocation in bats, high-frequency sound signals - whistles in dolphins, infrasound signaling in elephants. A person can detect these types of signals only with the help of instruments. And we still know very little about animal language. At least, we cannot translate much of what they “say” to each other and we do not always know well exactly how individuals of a particular species communicate.