10 fun facts about how animals communicate

Our animal friends sometimes have very surprising ways of communicating.

1. Cats meow only with humans

Cats don't meow to any other specie except humans. They use other forms of communication and sounds together. These include wheezing and using their body. But meowing is reserved only for their human owners. They usually meow to get attention, to get food or just to say hello. They also meow if they want something special, like going outside. There is one exception to this rule: baby cats will meow to their mother to get her attention or food.

2. Prairie dogs are quite complex

Prairie dogs could very well become the next kings of the animal world. They are intellectuals outpacing primates and dolphins. With a simple twitter, prairie dogs can communicate incredible details about their predators to the rest of the group. These animals may seem stupid at first, but they have actually developed a very complex language unknown by humans. They are able to give very specific details on the species, size and shape of their predators. They can even communicate the color of clothing worn by humans and whether or not they carry a weapon. What is even more amazing is that they can communicate all this information with a single noise and in a fraction of seconds.

3. Beetles use Morse

For a beetle, it can sometimes be difficult to communicate wandering in hundreds of tunnels in a dense wood. To overcome this problem, a type of scarab beetle uses a method similar to Morse code. These beetles hit their head against the top of the tunnel. This produces echoes that travel along the tunnel and deliver the message to the rest of the group. In their native habitat in England, they infest wood houses and residents can hear the sound striking at night.

4. Elephants have different voices

All human beings have a unique voice of their own. We think it's the same voice for animals. After studies, experts have discovered a herd of elephants in the Congo who have different voices. They are now studying these sounds, interpreting and compiling them in a specific elephant dictionary .

5. Hens talk to their eggs

Talking to an unborn child is common to almost all species. The mother hen speaks to her unborn chicks. What is amazing is that the unborn chicks answer their mother. Approximately one day before they break the egg, future chicks make noises. The mother hen answers them. This is supposed to be an insurance gesture.

6. Baboons hate slang

Most human beings seem to be bothered when they hear slang in their language. Baboons seem to feel the same annoyance. A group of six baboons were used to conduct thousands of tests over a period of six weeks. The tests involved the use of touch screens that showed a list of many words. Some of these words were real while others were slang. Baboons were asked to identify which of these words had no meaning and those who had a real sense. False words were arranged to look like the real thing. Baboons have managed to correctly identify compound words almost 75 % of the time.

7. You cannot hear this frog "talk"

Humans have often thought that only dogs could hear high frequency noises, which are not perceptible by humans. Now they know a species of frogs in Southeast Asia named Huia Cavitympanum, able to communicate with ultrasonic frequencies. Ultrasonic sounds can not be heard by humans. This frog species can transmit and hear sounds beyond 38 kilos hertz ( which is almost 18 kilos hertz higher than what humans can detect ) in order to be heard above the sound of the dripping water which is their habitat.

8. Dolphins can learn a second language

Dolphins seem to speak a different language when they talk in their sleep. The sounds of a sleepy group of dolphins have been studied, experts have observed this phenomenon say that they practice another language. These dolphins are located in a French water park where they are exposed to recordings of several whale sounds during their shows. During their waking hours, dolphins have never imitated the sound of whales. But the perceived sound during sleep is really very similar to whale songs. It's as if they are imitating whales.

9. Parrots do not only imitate humans

It is now proven that parrots do not only repeat the sounds they hear, but they can also learn words and have conversations. An African gray parrot, named Alex, has indeed gone a little further than simple imitation. He was able to identify colors and understand the concept of size and difference, which are abstract concepts. He even laughed when his coach told him " Do not tell me to calm down". Prudle another parrot that is present in the record books knew 800 words before his death. Another, named N'kisi, knows 950 words and laughs like Alex does!

10. Some fish communicate using sign language

Fish do not wave their fins just to gesticulate. A specie of fish called Coral Grouper, gestures to coordinate with the rest of the group members to hunt together. When they are successful in their capture, they point their noses in front of one another and dance to celebrate their victory. This fish species also uses sign language for actions such as "we will hunt this weekend".

Our animal friends are always surprising us!

Source and photo credit: Mobilelikez