T of L: Talking to Strangers

Question 1

For the honeyguide:
1. How do they communicate with humans, and vice versa?
2. What do the honeyguides do when they get to the source?

Answer 1

1. Honeyguides use a chirp unique to communicating with humans, and humans have their own communication sounds they use for honeyguides.
2. They fly low and remain silent.

Question 2

For the ringed-plover:
1. What does it do when a predator threatens eggs / chicks?
2. Where do they nest?
3. What do eggs look like?

Answer 2

1. The mother pretends to have a broken wing (deceitful signal).
2. They nest on beaches with smooth stones.
3. Their eggs look like beach stones.

Question 3

For the skylark:
1. What do skylarks do even when merlins give chase?
2. What is characteristic about when merlins stop chasing?
3. What kind of song does the skylark sing?

Answer 3

1. They constantly sing, even when being chased (honest signal about health status).
2. 80% will stop chasing if skylark continues singing.
3. High-pitched to travel in open grasslands.

Question 4

For the siamang:
1. How do the pair-bond communicate, and why?
2. What’s the purpose behind the social group calls?

Answer 4

1. Duetting to reinforce pair-bond.
2. To establish territorial boundaries.

Question 5

For Panamanian frogs:
1. How many species (and nightly songs)?
2. How do they penetrate through the noise?
3. How do males compete?

Answer 5

1. ~50 sp!!!
2. Calls are timed between other calls / noise.
3. Males who sing the loudest get the chicks, so rivals will attempt to jam the signal by timing a signal jam to align with serenade.

Question 6

For fireflies :
1. In SE Asia, who flashes, how, and why?
2. Outside of Asia, who flashes, how, and why?

Answer 6

1. Males flash to get females attention by flashing in synchrony to reinforce the signal.
2. Males and females flash a conspecific pattern.

Question 7

For squid:
1. How do males communicate with females?
2. How do they communicate cryptically with females (to remain inconspicuous)?
3. How do unreceptive females respond?

Answer 7

1. Body posture and dermal pigment under neurological control. They use a striped pattern to invite / initiate coitus.
2. They can change the color facing the female while maintaining neutral color on the outside).
3. Unreceptive females turn white.