Studying the ways different species communicate—through sight, sound, and scent—is challenging. Many species live in remote habitats, or even underwater, where it’s difficult to observe them; some also use a combination of signals at one time, making it hard to interpret them individually.
Understanding different species
We can, however, pick up on dogs’ communication cues—such as posture, facial expressions, and vocalizations—because we spend so much time with them, and thousands of years of domestication have taught them to understand our commands. “In some ways, dogs have had that interspecies communication bred into them,” says Kershenbaum.
But having the ability to recognize words doesn’t mean dogs can understand sentences or express sophisticated concepts; that, for now, seems unique to human language. “I don’t think there’s anything similar in the animal world,” says Yossi Yovel, a zoologist at Tel Aviv University and Chair of the Coller Dolittle Challenge for Interspecies Two-Way Communication. “If you expect to have a conversation with an animal like you and I are talking right now…well, maybe not.”
The sounds animals make, along with their posture and even their scents, can communicate important information to others of their species. This might include feelings—such as that they are hungry or afraid—as well as attracting mates or warning of danger.
Intelligent, highly social animals—like dogs, wolves, dolphins, whales, and primates—are more likely to have complex communication systems. “When you live in a social group, understanding the emotional state of other individuals is really important,” says Kershenbaum.