L,T&C - Human Vs Animal Communication Flashcards
Explain how they communicate for survival
Vervet monkeys use sounds to warn of danger (alarm calls). A specific sound warns other monkeys close by.
Rabbits use visual signals. They lift their tail high, pin ears back and leap forward to communicate danger to other rabbits.
These signals increase the survival of members of the signaller’s species.
Explain how they communicate for reproduction
Animals use mating displays.
Peacocks stretch their feathers like an umbrella to attract females.
Mating displays communicate genetic fitness through brightly coloured and plentiful feathers.
Explain how they communicate for territory
Animals mark territory through spreading scents.
Rhinos produce 20–30 piles of dung to communicate that an area is occupied.
This has evolutionary value as it takes less energy than fighting.
Explain how they communicate for food
Animals use signals to show location of food.
Ants leave a pheromone trail to communicate the location of a food source.
What can humans do that animals can’t (plan ahead)
Humans can use their language to plan ahead and discuss future events (displacement).
In contrast, animal communication tends to focus on things that are physically present in the environment, such as food sources or predators.
Therefore, displacement is not a part of animal communicatio
What can humans do that animals can’t (creativity)
Animal communication involves a closed system as the gestures, sounds and movements only refer to very specific events.
Human language is an open system as words can be combined together in an infinite number of ways.
This means that human communication has endless potential, i.e. it is creative.
What can humans do that animals can’t (channels)
Human language can be expressed using a whole range of different channels such as spoken, written or sign language and all of the different types of social media.
This is not a feature of animal communication which tends to use single channels such as pheromones.
