animal communication

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Animals communicate by sending and receiving signals. For example, a mother dingo (Canis lupus dingo) can communicate certain types of information to her pups by using tactile signals conveyed through grooming.

Cactus wrens (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) sing to communicate with other members of their species.

Observe an impala herd communicate via grooming, freezing reflexes, prancing, and sprinting

Wolves are social animals, and they thus require a large repertoire of signals to communicate different kinds of information.

Blue arrow-poison frogs (Dendrobates azureus) can communicate through sound production. Their bright colour also serves as a warning signal to predators.

Katydids use several different forms of communication. One of these forms is called stridulation and is characterized by the rubbing together of the insect's wings to create sound waves. These sound waves convey specific types of information and are detected by members of the same species.

Bats have special resonating structures attached to their sound-producing organs that select specific sound frequencies. This enables them to use different sound signals in different contexts.

Fireflies such as those of the genus Photinus produce their own light as a means of communication.

For Students

Katydids use several different forms of communication. One of these forms is called stridulation and is characterized by the rubbing together of the insect's wings to create sound waves. These sound waves convey specific types of information and are detected by members of the same species.

animal communication summary

Read Next

Shooting star (Dodecatheon pauciflorum).

Botanical Sex: 9 Alluring Adaptations

Discover

Candles Burning On Table In Church

What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?

Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.

10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish

Hemp (Cannabis sativa).

9 Mind-Altering Plants

Two chicks near an egg with a white background (poultry, chick, chickens, birds).

What Do Eggs Have to Do with Easter?

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

Shah Jahan. Taj Mahal. Mughal architecture. Emperor Shah Jahan fifth Mughal Emperor (reigned 1628-1658) India, Himachal Pradesh, Basohli or Jammu and Kashmir, Mankot, circa 1690 Drawings; Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper (see notes)

6 Important Mughal Emperors

Battle of the Alamo from "Texas: An Epitome of Texas History from the Filibustering and Revolutionary Eras to the Independence of the Republic, 1897. Texas Revolution, Texas revolt, Texas independence, Texas history.

6 Wars of Independence

animal communication: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Hoots and grunts from bonobos show signs of complex communication, researchers say • Apr. 4, 2025, 3:31 AM ET (NBC)

Photos and Videos

Animals communicate by sending and receiving signals. For example, a mother dingo (Canis lupus dingo) can communicate certain types of information to her pups by using tactile signals conveyed through grooming.

Cactus wrens (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) sing to communicate with other members of their species.

Wolves are social animals, and they thus require a large repertoire of signals to communicate different kinds of information.

Blue arrow-poison frogs (Dendrobates azureus) can communicate through sound production. Their bright colour also serves as a warning signal to predators.

Katydids use several different forms of communication. One of these forms is called stridulation and is characterized by the rubbing together of the insect's wings to create sound waves. These sound waves convey specific types of information and are detected by members of the same species.

Bats have special resonating structures attached to their sound-producing organs that select specific sound frequencies. This enables them to use different sound signals in different contexts.

Fireflies such as those of the genus Photinus produce their own light as a means of communication.

African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana)

Whales such as humpbacks (Megaptera novaeangliae) communicate by producing low-frequency sound waves. The animals move sufficiently far beneath the ocean surface before vocalizing, which enables their signals to be heard over hundreds of kilometres.

water jelly (Aequorea victoria)

Observe an impala herd communicate via grooming, freezing reflexes, prancing, and sprinting

Observe the aggressive social behaviour of territorial perciform jawfish fighting over burrow proximity

How do cicadas inspire new forms of music?

See All Videos, Images and Audio →

Topics

whale vocalization howling pheromone sound production display behaviour birdsong mechanical sound mating call badge gamone animal learning animal social behaviour reproductive behaviour locomotion feeding behaviour avoidance behaviour sign language nonverbal communication learning quorum sensing

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Karl von Frisch

Austrian zoologist