Countless Means of Communication: Animal Communication

Everywhere people have pondered over the communication and language abilities among nonhuman animals. Watching these creatures, it is apparent that they have many ways of communicating with one another, but some would argue that the complex language of humans makes them the most superior beings on Earth. Now after many studies, one may discover that humans are really no different than the rest of the animal kingdom.

Background

Animals have a wide variety of ways they communicate with each other. Whether it be through auditory, visual, or olfactory signals, animals are in constant need of communication. Auditory communication is the detection of different noises such as, calls and cries from animals to spread important information. Next, visual communication is the interpretation of an animal’s movements, gestures, or appearance. A dance, or flaring of feathers would be an example of this. Some visual signals are even innate, like the coloring of skin. Lastly, olfactory communication is considered specific smells, produced by the animal, like spraying, that provides a message. Species of all kinds use these signals to transfer information among themselves and animals of different species as well. (Bright, 1994, p.95-97)

“Animals rarely draw attention to themselves, since it could be dangerous...so an animal that advertises its presence must be doing so for a good reason” (Bright, 1994, p.96). Regardless of the species, there are countless reasons why an animal may need to communicate. One of the main reasons an organism may need to communicate is in a dangerous situation. When presented with potential danger, many creatures use signals as a warning to others of their kind. In particular, vervet monkeys utilize the auditory sig...

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