Is it only humans that have language?

Is it only humans that have language?

- Do animals communicate? How? Which ones?

- How does human and animal language differ?

Do animals communicate, well of course they do. They may not speak like humans or be able to write or use sign language but they have their own ways to communicate. A whale has a song, frogs croak and birds tweet. They also have non-verbal ways to communicate like how a dolphin slaps its tail on water, marking of scents, tactile or chemical cues, postural gestures, visual signals and bioluminescence.

Animals from the same species may even sound different depending on where they come from. One study found that the blue whale produces different patterns of pulses, pitches and tones when they come from different places. Birds are another example of this.

Animals can also communicate with different species. An example of this is the Madagascan spiny-tailed Iguana. It has big ears, which means it can hear the warning calls from another species called the Madagascan paradise flycatcher. The only thing these two species have in common is that they have the same predator. The Iguana then knows that if it hears the bird raise the alarm among other birds it usually means that their predator is nearby.

Meerkats are a great example of different ways animals communicate. They purr to show contentment and attachment, they chatter when they are nervous and they squeal when there is danger. When either the dominate male or female wake up and need to go find food, they call for the rest of the gang to come with them. Meerkats are very territorial and clash a lot with other gangs when they meet. Meerkats gangs make their boundaries by emitting a scent to show other gangs their territory. The sound a meerkat makes when it sees a jackal is different to when it sees an eagle or a snake. Meerkats also use body language. When a threat is in the sky, the meerkat on lookout will stare at it to know where it is and the other meerkats will notice this and will be able to be aware of what is coming and from where.

Animals definitely do communicate in very unique ways. Like scent, body language, squeals, croaks, barks or songs. These are impressive ways to communicate with their own or even other species to get the message across.

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/animals-communicate.htm

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/meerkats-communication1.htm