Animal communication

This lecture will explore how different animal species communicate and what is similar and different between human communication and other animals' ways of communicating. We will review different types of animal signaling, the informative vs. manipulative functions of communication, when and why non-human animals communicate and discuss how rare are the vocal learning abilities of humans in the animal kingdom.  While presenting examples from several animal species (primates, ravens, bees, dolphins, dogs and cats) we will outline how studying animal communication can provide us with a window into their minds and enhance our understanding of our companions on this planet.