[Animals] Do animals understand each other when they communicate like we understand each other?

[#Wittels-]

Humans use verbal language, accompanied by gestures and facial expressions, while animals rely on visual, auditory and olfactory communication.

The answer is yes, animals communicate like us, but they use another language. People use verbal language, although not exclusively because we also use gestures and facial expression, and animals mainly use visual communication, which includes body postures and facial expressions, auditory communication, which includes vocalizations such as barking, and communication olfactory

 

Depending on the species, one form of communication is more important than another. I give you two examples: in the case of dogs, visual communication, posture and facial expression, accompanied by vocalizations, are more important. For example, dogs use a ritualized language made up of offensive posture (body erect, limbs outstretched, tail up, ears up) and defensive posture (opposite). All this can be accompanied by vocalizations and facial expressions. Olfactory communication is also important. When a dog urine marks, it leaves a message for the other dogs. However, this olfactory communication is even more important in cats.

 

He thinks that the cat is a solitary animal, so it has not had to develop a language to communicate from one to another like the dog, which is a social animal that lives in a group. The cat has developed an olfactory language that avoids direct encounters. For this, what they do is leave signs with their nails, they leave signs by rubbing with different parts of the body or they leave signs with urine. And all these signs are messages to the other cats: “I am a female and I am in heat” or “be careful, this is my territory, don't come near me”, etc.

 

It is obvious that communication between animals does not have the richness that we have between people, but many more messages are transmitted between them than we suppose. And of course, although the messages are more primitive, they understand each other perfectly. That is, they have all the communication tools they need. The only problem of understanding can occur during the period of development called socialization, and which in the case of dogs is from three weeks of life to three months, and if they have not had contact with other dogs. During this period they have to be with other individuals of their species, they have to live with them. If this does not happen, it may happen that the dog does not learn dog language and later, as an adult, does not understand the postures that other dogs adopt and this can lead to misunderstandings and fights.

 

In the rest of the animals, including species that are not companions, communication is very similar to this process that we have explained. Depending on each species, they use one type of language more than another, but they all communicate. In general, in all social species, visual language is more important: postures, facial expressions and vocalizations. And for species that are less social, olfactory communication is often more important. And it happens in all of them, it can be a horse, a sheep or a mouse.

Marta Amat Grau doctor in Veterinary Medicine, responsible for the ethology service of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

 

Link: https://elpais.com/ciencia/las-cientificas-responden/2022-03-16/los-animales-se-entienden-cuando-se-comunican-como-nos-entendemos-las-personas.html