ZoologyLesson 2 of 4 in the course Animal behaviour

Animal Communication: Signals, Sensory Channels, Functions, and Evolution

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Animal communication shapes how animals respond to one another and to their surroundings. This lesson introduces the basic ideas of senders, receivers, and signals, then explores visual communication.

Animal communication is the transfer of information from one or more non-human animals to other animals in a way that affects the receivers’ current or future behavior. The sender may communicate intentionally, as in a courtship display, or information may pass unintentionally, as when prey detects scent chemicals associated with a predator.

All flashcards

Autocommunication
A process in which an animal senses its own signal after the environment alters it.
Stridulation
Sound production by rubbing specialized body parts together.
Ritualization
The evolutionary adaptation and elaboration of an existing behavior into a signal.
Handicap hypothesis
The idea that costly traits can be credible signals of an animal’s condition.
Signature whistle
A bottlenose dolphin vocalization that can identify an individual.

Quiz questions

  1. When vervet monkeys hear an alarm call identifying an eagle, what response may follow?Answer: They seek cover on the ground.
  2. How do weakly electric fish use electrocommunication?Answer: They produce electric fields and detect changes in those fields.
  3. What carries a seismic signal between animals?Answer: Vibrations transmitted through a substrate.
  4. What does a dog’s play face communicate about a following aggressive-looking action?Answer: It frames the action as play rather than a serious fight.
  5. What is double articulation in human language?Answer: Meaningful units are built from smaller sound units that distinguish meaning.

Based on the Wikipedia article Animal communication, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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