The Secret Language of Animals!

In the past few years, many animal scientists have taken up a very exciting field of research known as 'Animal Linguistics'. It refers to the study of how and what animals try to communicate with each other. 
Animals, including humans, have developed various means of communication over the course of evolution and the mechanism by which they accomplish this is truly fascinating. Let's try to find out how some of these animals establish communication keeping aside the discussion of humans (here's hoping that my readers know how humans communicate😅)

1} Dolphins
Dolphins are known for their ability to communicate with their pods from miles away in the Sea. They hunt together, and form intricate social networks with their calves and mating pairs. This is achieved in several ways as follows:
i) Sound communication is enabled in water as sound travels nearly 5 times faster through water than through the air. Scientists are of the opinion that every bottlenose dolphin develops a distinctive high-pitched whistle, called a signature whistle (Tyack, 2000). This whistle facilitates individual identification, much like a name. It helps them to find out which pod members are around, their location and plausibly something about their mental state. Dolphins, when in distress, emit their signature whistles very loudly. Whistles serve as vocal contact between dolphins. Dolphins often respond to another dolphin’s whistle by whistling themselves or moving toward the whistler. If they become separated, a young calf and its mother whistle frequently until reunited. Dolphins also whistle when separated from other group members. (If you watched Doraemon as a kid, try to recall an episode in this context!) 
ii)It's a fun fact that dolphins may also communicate by touch! Calves swim close to their mothers, brushing their bodies with their flanks and pectoral fins. This contributes to strengthen their bond and promote social ties. On the contrary, dolphins use touch in rough, aggressive ways during courtship and when establishing dominance. They use their teeth to make parallel scratches, called rake marks, on each other's skin. Scientists are still studying and trying to comprehend the true meaning of the gestures of dolphins. 

2}Penguins
Visual communication occurs when
Penguins use body movements to send and receive messages. A posture or movement of head, neck or wings accompanies each vocalization.
Many species “flap” their flippers, wave their beaks or bend their necks down or sideways. During the courtship process, both penguins bow, which decreases the tension between them and reduces the risk of aggression. 
This way of conveying their messages by vocalizing and exhibiting physical behaviors called displays. They use many vocal and visual displays to communicate nesting territories, mating information, nest relief rituals, partner and chick recognition, and defense against intruders.
Penguins are very noisy birds. Specialized structures in their throat emit these vocalization sounds that sound like squawking or a high-pitch braying, very different from those produced by other birds. Penguins that belong to the gender Aptenodytes produce sounds with the syrinx, a particular organ for that purpose. Penguins have an extensive repertoire of vocalizations that use according to the situation. A significant observation made is that each penguin produces a unique sound easily identifiable by other penguins; therefore, both, parents as well as offsprings are able to recognize each other through the unique squeaks made by them, in a flock of thousands of penguins too! 

References

https://dolphins.org/communication

https://seaworld.org/animals/all-about/penguins/communication/

https://www.penguins-world.com/penguin-communication/

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