Nature has created a surprisingly diverse range of communication strategies. For example, some insects use chemical signals to create traces. Monkeys wash in their own urine to attract friends. Meerkats use special signals to warn each other about dangerous predators. These communication abilities are part of an exciting evolutionary arms race. Animals at the bottom of the food chain can send false messages to confuse eavesdroppers. In some cases, a predatory animal can transmit deceptive signals, luring its prey into a death trap. Having an effective communication strategy in the animal kingdom can determine life or death.
Pigeons use the noise of wings for communication.
Pigeons created an alarm system that transmits information about predators. Ocyphaps lophotes hails from Australia. The bird has a characteristic appearance: green-purple wings and a crest similar to a mohawk. Frightened, the dove takes off into the sky and emits a series of panic whistles. These noises are not produced by the vocal cords, but appear as a result of the vibration of the wings.
Deaf moths flap wings
Many animals that feed on insects prey primarily on mosquitoes and moths. Some species of moths begin to resist. The wings of deaf moths are filled with soundproof structures called timbals. Sensing danger, the moth flaps its thin wings. These translucent structures spin and flip. Loss of stability triggers a series of ultrasonic signals that a predatory bat can easily detect. But what do these animals do? The Yponomeuta moth species has its own tricky trick. They mimic the clicking sounds of more toxic tiger moths. Bats associate these sounds with dangerous moths, so they prefer to avoid them.
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Bears rub against trees to claim territory
Bears have a strange way to make themselves known. These creatures are often noticed in an unusual occupation: they rub against the trees with their backs, as if they have severe itching. By the end of this lesson, the trunk is covered with thick fur. Scratches, bite marks and leaking tree sap send a clear message to the bears in the region: "This is my territory."
Brown bears use various chemical signals to indicate territory and assert their dominance. For example, they spray the secretion of the anal glands and urine into the local flora. Bears have an amazing sense of smell, which is why these chemical signs are easily detectable.
What is the use of such a method of transmitting information?
Brown bears use trees to send messages about their status in the general hierarchy. Less "high-ranking" relatives are guided by these messages in order to avoid a potentially fatal confrontation with dominant individuals. According to bear biologist and bear researcher Melanie Clapham, rubbing on trees ensures that bears at each level of the hierarchy have safe access to females and feeding places.
Sneezing to achieve democracy
A hyena-like dog (Lycaon pictus) is listed as an endangered species in sub-Saharan Africa. Individuals gather in flocks, the important members of the group becoming important people in them. The dominant male binds to the dominant female. The couple controls the daily activities of the flock. But the dogs, it seems, are also trying to achieve democracy.
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In 2014, a group of researchers went to the Botswana Foundation for the Protection of Predators to study the behavior of hyenoid dogs. Zoologists were surprised to learn that the animals held their own social rallies.
The voting system was very confusing. After the formation of the meeting, hyena-like dogs sneeze at each other, indicating their preferences. The "sneezing threshold" is established, which is necessary for the members of the pack to come to an agreement.
If a social rally is initiated by a dog of a lower rank, it will take about 10 sneezes. But if a dominant male or female declares a vote, the threshold may be low, for example, 3 sneezes.
Mushroom created internet
Under our feet lies a gigantic information superhighway, similar to the Internet, but biological. It consists of tiny fungal threads called mycelium. Hundreds of millions of years ago, some of these nets gave rise to huge tree-sized mushrooms. Today, networks can grow to astronomical sizes.
Mushrooms have a beneficial relationship with 90% of all known plants. Mycelial networks form around the roots of plants and trees, protecting them from harmful bacteria and improving the absorption of nutrients. They secrete special substances, maintaining the soil in a healthy state.
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Many tree species use these nets to exchange nutrients with young trees that lack food. In exchange for this service, mushrooms receive a source of carbohydrates.
Individual plants can communicate with each other through a network of mycelium. In 2010, Chinese researchers discovered that a tomato uses fungal structures to transmit distress signals. Upon contact with a deadly microorganism, infected plants use mycelium to share information with their neighbors. Then healthy plants begin to produce protective enzymes to resist the disease.
Ants leave traces of pheromones
Ants are social insects that live and work in large colonies. Coordination of nest building, navigation and environmental protection is achieved through a number of biological methods. Ants often use pheromones to label food, showing other members of the colony where the food is. Other ants detect these chemical signals with an antenna and follow the trail. As more and more ants join a single stream, the aroma of pheromones becomes stronger. As a result, the group is constantly growing.
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Ants secrete pheromones from the glands lining the abdominal cavity, chest, anus and feet. The composition of this mixture plays a crucial role in the dissemination of information about the food trail. The ant can tell the ant both about useful ways and about where you should not go. Such aromas may even serve as “attack signals” with which the nearby ants direct the colony to prey.
Honey Bee Dance
In the spring, honey bees scour the countryside for nectar, pollen, water, and wood tar. As with ants, each individual must report its findings to the rest of the hive. To do this, they use very specific dance movements: they move, wagging.
At first glance, it may seem that the dance does not have a clear system. But carefully crafted movements do convey a lot of useful information. Firstly, a bee should attract the attention of its caring neighbors. When a sufficiently large number of observers is formed, the bee begins to demonstrate some movements. She shakes her body, moving in a straight line. The duration of this movement tells the others how far the flower section is.
The direction of movement shows which way they should fly relative to the sun. If the dancer sways up, then the food is in the direction of the sun. If the bee sways down, then the food is on the horizon in the opposite direction to the sun.
African knife fish learned to define locations in a fancy way
The fish transmits electrical signals from a small organ located in the tail. Distortions of these signals, which are detected with the help of receptors in the skin, allow the fish to identify obstacles in the environment. Incredibly, a fish-knife determines various materials and their localization, focusing on the electrical conductivity of objects.
White-Frog Frogs Communicate Using Seismic Signals
Watching a white-breasted frog (Leptodactylus albilabris) at night, you can find an unusual sight. The animal places the lower part closer to the ground and constantly inflates its voice bag. When the frog makes sounds, the lower body hits the ground in a certain sequence. It turns out that this ritual is one way to scout the territory used by male frogs. Since the white-lipped frog cannot boast of large sizes, it has to avoid larger individuals using such an unusual method.
Elephants use sign language, smell and rattle
Elephants are true communication masters. These giants communicate using touch, smell, acoustics and sign language.
