Collective survival relies on a shared way of interpreting the world.
Chapter 1
The secret language of cells
Chapter 2
Whispering woods and talking trees
Chapter 3
The animal chatterbox
Chapter 4
Microbe meetings and fungal internets
Ch 3 · The animal chatterbox
sonia A bee's waggle dance uses angles relative to vertical to show food direction from the sun, and run duration to communicate distance.
sonia Marine biosemiotics shows that cetacean vocalizations are culturally transmitted languages, not instincts.
Quiz
What is the term for the rhythmic patterns of clicks used by sperm whales to identify their group?
Fun Fact
Prairie dog warnings: Prairie dogs have specific alarm chirps that describe a predator's size, shape, color, and speed to their colony.
Glossary
zoosemiotics (noun)
The study of semiotic processes, signs, and communication among non-human animals. American semiotician Thomas Sebeok coined the term in 1963 to analyze how animals exchange signals.
The study of semiotic processes, signs, and communication among non-human animals. American semiotician Thomas Sebeok coined the term in 1963 to analyze how animals exchange signals.
sonia The Master of Animal Signs
The master of animal signs! (Oh, the master of signs!) / An atomic priesthood to guard the shrines! (To guard the shrines!)