Animal communication - Dr. Jeni Padua Intraspecific Communication Interspecific communication Types: Visual Communication Auditory Communication Chemical Communication Tactile Communication Electrical Communication

1. Dr. Jeni Padua, PhD.
Visiting Researcher, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo,Spain
Erasmus Mundus Euphrates Fellow, European Commission
Indian Science Academies’ SR Fellow-CCMB, Hyderabad
Dean of Sciences, Holy Cross College, Nagercoil, India.

2. ANIMAL COMMUNICATION
•Animal communication is the “passing on” of
information between two animals.
•The animal which sends the information is
called the Signaller and the animal that receives
the signal is called the Receiver.
•Animal communication is also known as
Biological communication.

3. TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
Intraspecific communication
• Communication within a single species. Eg.
Honeybee dance
Interspecific communication
• Prey to predator. Eg. warning colouration in wasps
• Predator to prey
Some predators communicate to the prey to make it
easier to catch them, in effect deceiving them.
Eg. Angler fish, Human/animal communication during
domestication of animals

4. BASIC COMPONENTS
•Signaller : An individual emitting the signal.
•Reciever : An individual receiving the signal
•Signal : The behavioural response of the signaller
•Channels : A pathway through which a signal travels. (ie
means of communication)
•Visual
•Auditory
•Chemical
•Tactile
•Electrical

5. VISUAL COMMUNICATION
•Information transmitted by visual
means is called visual
communication.
•The visual signals may be given by
various means like movement,
posture or shape of the body, Facial
expressions, colour identification,
light etc.
•Ex: Tail feather displays of male
peacocks,Visual communication in
Bees

6. AUDITORY
COMMUNICATION
•Sending information from
one member to another by
sound production is called
auditory signal or bioacoustic
signal.
•Ex. Calls of mammals and
birds – vocal origin;
•sound produced by crickets
in rhythmic oscillation of
forewings.

7. CHEMICAL
COMMUNICATION
• Molecules used for chemical
communication between
individual animals are called
pheromones.
• Pheromones are involved in
mate identification, marking
territory, alarm spreading etc.
• Pheromones include Alarm
pheromones, Sex pheromones
and Trail pheromones

8. TACTILE COMMUNICATION
•Information transmitted in the
form of physical contact (touch
signal) is called tactile
communication.
•Antennae of ants, termites and
honeybees are involved in this
process
•Eg. Female primates often hold
and frequently cuddle their young
ones to establish a bond
Two worker ants in tactile communication

9. ELECTRICAL SIGNALS
•It is a means of communication
in some fishes.
•Torpedo (Electric ray), and
sharks (Scyliorhinus caniculus)
have electro receptors that are
used in communication.
Ex. Electric fish communicate
information about species identity
and sex, by discharging an electric
field/current.

10. SURFACE VIBRATIONS
•In some animals information
may be communicated by
patterns of surface vibrations.
•Eg. Water spider sends out
ripples of certain frequency.
Receptive females respond to
this by moving towards the
source.

11. THANKYOU
Dr. Jeni Padua, PhD.
Visiting Researcher, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo,Spain
Erasmus Mundus Euphrates Fellow, European Commission
Indian Science Academies’ SR Fellow-CCMB, Hyderabad
Dean of Sciences, Holy Cross College, Nagercoil, India.