48. Animal Communication

When we think of communication, we normally think of using words-talking face to face, writing messagesand so on. But in fact, we communicate far more in other ways. Our eyes and 1) ____ usually tell the truth even when our words do not.

Then there are 2) _____, often unconscious: raising the eyebrows, 3) ____ the nose, raising the shoulders, tapping the fingers, nodding and shaking the head. There is also even more 4) ____ body-language of posture: Are you sitting? Or standing? With arms or legs crossed? Is that person standing with hands in pockets, held in front of the body or hidden behind? Even the way we dress and the colours we wear communicate things to others.

So, do animals communicate? Not in words, although a parrot might be trained to repeat words and phrases which it doesn’t understand. But , as we have learnt, there is more to communication than words.

Take dogs for example. They 5) ____ their teeth to warm, shake their tails to welcome and stand firm, with hair 6) ____, to fight. Their signals are surely the 7) ____ of the human body-language of facial expression, gesture and posture.

Color can be an important means of communication for animals. Many birds and fish change color, for example, to attract partners during the mating season. And mating itself is commonly done after a special dance in which both partners take part in.

Here, again, there are striking similarities to young men and women who 8) _____, where the music is often too loud for word communication. Communication there takes place through appearance and movement.

The most carefully-planned dances in the animal kingdom are those which bees use to communicate. With body movements alone they can tell other bees 9) ____.

All these examples may suggest instinctive rather than intelligent communication. But human body-language is largely instinctive, too. 10) ____.