Chapter 10 - Animal Communication

Question 1

Pheremones

Answer 1

genetic signature of individual animal, used to attract mates, find food, signal an alarm, and mark territory
Used by insects, vertebrates (like fish, reptiles, mammals, birds)
Some animals can be extremely perceptive to pheromones (ex: silkworms)

Question 2

Otters

Answer 2

use droppings to indicate territory

Question 3

MHC

Answer 3

major histocompatability complex, set of proteins characteristic of one’s immune system

Question 4

Number of human odorant receptors

Answer 4

1000

Question 5

Number of odorants humans can detect

Answer 5

10 000

Question 6

Light

Answer 6

Human eye can detect what wavelength of light: 400 - 700 n
Less common than chemical communication
Found among some insects, fish, fungi
Bioluminescene is suggested to have originated as “the result of secondary developments of vestigial system that evolved originally in early history of life as mechanism for removing toxic oxygen

Question 7

Electricity

Answer 7

Electrocommunication: involves generation of an electric field and sending electric impulses on the one side and recieving/reacting to these impulses on the other
Do not occur easily in air because air is insulator
Found mostly among electric fish and amphibians
Species capable of the generation and perception of electric fields often use them for communication, electrolocation, hunting
Bees use electric impulses in flowers to help stick pollen to the bees

Question 8

colour

Answer 8

Changing colour following seasonal changes

Using colour as warning for potential predators

Question 9

Facial Expressions

Answer 9

Rhesus monkeys avoid looking at scary object; stronger expression of fear is frightened grin
Positive social advances: lip-snaking
Yawning: mild stress, expression of aggression

Direct stare: aggression in many species, including dogs and cats

Question 10

vocalization

Answer 10

Elephants can hear each other over 4 km

Rhinos typically communicate within range between 5 and 8000 Hz, can produce higher pitch whistles when happy

Question 11

Theory of equal Intelligence

Answer 11

• Living things share “nous”, “mind substance” capable of learning and making decisions
• Nous is infinite, self-ruled, and cannot be defined in terms of inferiority/superiority

Question 12

Theory of progressive intelligence

Answer 12

• Intellectual hierarchies
• fish are at bottom of capacity scale, then amphibians, reptiles, birds, rodents, ungulates (cow, horse, pig, elephant), carnivores (cats, dogs), primates (monkeys, apes, humans)
• Cephalization index attempts to justify (ratio of brain mass to body mass)

Question 13

Prudle

Answer 13

grey parrot who had vocabulary of almost 800 words

Question 14

alex

Answer 14

intelligent conversation on limited number of topics, learned socializers

Question 15

Calls vs Songs

Answer 15

calls are short

Question 16

Washoe and Bonobo Kanzi

Answer 16

taught ASL (Ameslan); learnt to use lexigrams,, developed communication ability of 2.5 yr old, including syntax
Understands sentences

Question 17

Chantek

Answer 17

orangutan, learnt 150 signs in one year, recognizes self in mirror, uses tools, makes necklaces, lies ~3 times a week, chose bride, was in movie, attempts to make him bilingual/bicultural

Question 18

dolphins

Answer 18

signature whistles can be distinguished with accuracy of about 89%
Bray calls - low frequency signals that are typically food-related
Long vocalizations = good will toward contact/reuinion
In captivity, can be taught to execute complex commands to whistles/gesture signals; process sentences structures consisting of 2-4 words