Con Slobodchikoff:"Chasing Doctor Dolittle: Learning the Language of Animals"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-12-13/con-slobodchikoffchasing-doctor-dolittle-learning-language-animals
Dr. Con Slobodchikoff is professor emeritus of biology at Northern Arizona University and Director of the Animal Language Institute.
Guests
Con Slobodchikoff
director of the Animal Language Institute and professor emeritus of biology at Northern Arizona University.
Read An Excerpt
From "Chasing Doctor Dolittle" by Con Slobodchikoff, Ph.D. Copyright © 2012 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Press, LLC.
Comments
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I'm enjoying the conversation with Mr. Slobodchikoff, and I don't find his research surprising at all. Crows and ravens, for instance, can recognize individual people who have attempted to harm them, and communicate that information to their peers. Dolphins can transmit complex instructions to one another. And of course, we are all familiar with communication among ants and bees. I assume complex communications is the rule rather than the exception, through vocalization, chemical and scent release, and body language.
I wonder if remotely monitoring warning calls from wild animals could be used for security purposes at open borders, base perimeters, and the like? A computer could monitor calls from birds, rodents, and other wildlife and respond to calls that correspond to human intrusion. Large predators, such as bear, cougar, and wolves, could possibly be tracked this way as well.
Tiger was my sister's beloved cat whom we believed could understand us. Let me explain...
We would ask Tiger the where abouts of another family cat, Chloe. "Where is Chloe? Tiger, where is Chloe?" He would leave the house, returning in about an hour later with Chloe, with a look on his face that said, "Here she is!".
If the current tragectory continues, someday a weasel or a skunk will be president.
My mother passed away suddenly in 1998 and my dog (a Jack Russell Terrier) consoled myself and my sister. We were sitting on the sofa in my apt, crying our eyes out, and Freckles would crawl into our lap, look up at our faces and place her paws on either side of our face and occasionally lick our face. It's as if they absolutely know when you are hurting and want to make you feel better.
Wondering if the prairie dog languages differ by colony, especially widely separated colonies?
Does your guest think that apes; our closest relatives; have more language than animals less related to us? From Robert in Norway listening online
Fascinating discussion. I believe animals do communicate but, I also share the belief that anthropomorphic interpretation of animal behavior limits our ability to understand. All too often, when we say we're researching to understand animal communication, what we're actually looking for are mirrors of our own behavior.
Tenacious-G,
We had a similar experience when a beloved uncle died. I think that we and animals probably share similar emotions more than language-driven communication.
I applaud what you are doing for the animals! I actually communicate with animals telepathically and agree wholeheartedly that they have feelings, and have a soul. Several of my clients tell me that my communication with their animal companion has changed their life & the way they now look at their animal. I have also been able to negotiate with the squirrels & deer in my yard. They no longer eat my flowers & seem perfectly content with our new arrangements as long as I live up to my promise of putting corn & apples out for both.
Animals communicate amongst themselves telepathically. They send images & thoughts to each other. Dogs, for example read our thoughts & pick up the images in our head way before they hear our voice. I have found that the best way to get a dog or cat to do what you want them to do is to send them mental pictures of what you want, rather than what you don't want.
A question for your guest--is anyone studying the "emotional pallet" of different species, genus, or phylum? I assume, from personal experience, that mammals largely share an "emotional pallet", which drive behavior.
Thanks for bringing out that which i have always known. Animals are breathing feeling beings with the ability to react to their environment. We had a cat whowould be teased on a daily basis through a glass sliding door. bird seemed to enjoy this.
I agree with the caller who warned against ascribing human emotions to animals. It is true that by observing a dog on a person's grave and to determine that it is "mourning" is not particularly scientific. We also do a disservice to all animals by assuming that their inner lives are simply miniature versions of our own.
However, I would be more cautious of ascribing emotions and motivations to animals (dogs in particular) that are grounded in unscientific, debunked, and patently wrong assumptions regarding "packs" and "leaders."
At least Dr. Slobodchikoff was arriving at his conclusions about underlying emotions through careful scientific observation, even if his anecdote about a dog on a person's grave wasn't a great example. The caller, however, is arriving at their conclusions from studies of captive wolves done decades ago that have since been thrown out by any qualified, legitimate professional in the field of animal behavioral sciences or psychology (though I'm sure there's a good deal of reality-TV wizardy thrown into their analysis for good measure, as well). I wish the Doctor had corrected the caller.