eskiworks:

genuineferalswagger:

spiritus-sonne:

navelgazed:

spooksee:

disappearing—boy:

anthropomorphia:

HUGE NEWS !!! 
We’ve Decoded Prairie Dog Language!

Check out the video here.

Prairie dogs can say things as complex as: “Tall, thin, human wearing a blue shirt walking slowly across our colony.”

Dr. Con Slobidchikoff has shown that prairie dogs have words for different, specific threats, including distinct terms for coyote, dog, human, badger, and red-tailed hawk. The prairie dogs then react to these words by using different escape behaviours in response to the different predator names.

Their language includes components we use – nouns, adjectives and dialects. They can also communicate about abstract ideas, like things that are not actually present, and they can describe abstract shapes, like circles and triangles. They also have the ability to construct new words referring to novel objects or animals in their environment – prior to this study, only humans were recognized to have this ability.

If this has moved you, consider giving a helping hand to the Prairie Dog Coalition, and definitely check out Dr. Con!

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“They also have the ability to construct new words referring to novel objects or animals in their environment – prior to this study, only humans were recognized to have this ability.”

humans barely even have that ability

Oh my god that’s terrifying

**is fascinated** That’s some really interesting research and I hope it adds to further laying the groundwork for similar studies on a variety of other animals (I’d especially like to see such for meerkats, maybe done by the Kalahari Meerkat Project, or dwarf mongooses), as also more studies into the language(s) of prairie dog species.

Yes, it just goes to show that we can’t be so quick to judge other animals when we don’t have all the information! 🙂

Reblogging to my art account, because this actually has something to do with my headworld!  Dr. Con Slobidchikoff has touched on something here that I’ve long believed to be true, that non-human animals have their own languages.  Humans have a really cool ability to empathize with other species and try to understand them, and out of it comes things like this project, where we try to learn what other animals are saying with their body language and vocalizations. 

I stole and amplified that ability for my Alecani species because it’s  quality I admire in my own species.  Alecani have a number of traits that make them able to decipher the languages of other species fairly easily.  One, is a great empathy for other living things.  These animals are care takers, gardeners, and healers.  Another, is a keen awareness of patterns and sounds, which makes it easy to suss out other species’ verbalizations and their meanings.  Combined with their ability to mimic perfectly, they become expert linguists! 

Anyway, just thought I’d share this neat video and how it pertains to my little head universe.  =)