Human vs animal communication

• Reasons why animals communicate - Territory 


  • Animals mark their territory using scent marking
  • They spread urine, faeces to discourage other animals invading their territory
  • Rhinos lay their dung in piles to mark their territory
  • They also drag their feet through a pile of poo to mark a path
• Reasons why animals communicate - Food 


  • Animals use signals to draw attention to food sources
  • Bees use the round dance and waggle dance
  • Ants leave pheromone (scent) trails
• Reasons why animals communicate - Survival 


  • Monkeys produce specific sounds that warn other monkeys of danger (alarm calls)
  • If a monkey sees a predator, It will produce a sound
  • Rabbits pin their ears back and leap forward to warn other rabbits of danger
• Reasons why animals communicate - Reproduction 


  • Animals use mating displays to signal to other members that they want to reproduce
  • Male peacock stretches out it's feathers
  • The brighter the feathers, the healthier the male and therefore the more likely it will attract a mate
• Human skills that animals don't have - Discussing future events

  • Humans use their language to plan ahead (displacement)
  • Animal communication tends to focus on things physically present (e.g, food or predators)
• Human skills that animals don't have - Creativity

  • Human language is an open system
  • Words can be combined in an infinite amount of ways
  • Animal communication involves a closed system of gestures, sounds and movements
• Human skills that animals don't have - Single vs multiple channels

  • Human language can be expressed using a range of channels such as spoken, written and sign language
  • Animal communication uses single channels (e.g, pheromones)