If you’ve ever owned a dog or a cat，you know very well that animals cancommunicate. They understand the basicorders2 from you. Most pets fully understandwhat you mean when you say theword“treat3”.

Also， pets can clearly communicatesome basic messages to you. When they’rehungry or thirsty， they will let you know.A scratch4 on the door might mean“Ineed to go to the bathroom”. A couple oflicks5 might mean“I’m happy to see you”when you get home from school.

Since we know that animals can communicate，let’s talk about the interestingways different animals use to communicate.Just because they don’t speak the samelanguage you do doesn’t mean that animalsdon’t use their voices， though.

Many different types of animals usedifferent sounds to communicate. Hasyour dog ever barked to be let out of thehouse？ Maybe your cat has meowedwhen she’s hungry？ All you have to dois spending some time along in natureand keeping your ears open to heardifferent kinds of communication goingon around you. Although you can’t tellwhat the animals are saying， they’recertainly communicating with each otherand the world around them.

Sounds aren’t the only way animalscommunicate. Like us， they can communicatemessages in every way. For example，the wag of a dog’s tail6 can communicatefeelings and messages. Here aresome other interesting examples of bodycommunication among animals：

Many different types of animals usetheir scent7 as a clear message to tellothers to stay away from their territories8.

A dolphin may slap9 its tail on thewater to call others in the area.

Bees tell other bees when they’vefound nectar10 by“dancing”.

Deer flick11 their tails to make otherdeer following them know possibledangers.

Animals can certainly communicatewith other animals of the same species， butcan different species communicate witheach other？ Of course！

Have you ever seen a dog communicatewith a cat to let it stay away from itsterritory？ Maybe you’ve even get a motherbird’s message if you’ve come too close toher nest12！

Scientists have found many differenttypes of species communicating with eachother in many ways. One interesting ex -ample is the communication between spinytailed13 iguanas and paradise flycatchersin Madagascar. Even though theiguanas don’t communicate by sounds，they have good ears， so that they can hearthe calls of the paradise flycatcher. Thishelps both species keep themselves awayfrom their enemy14： the raptors15 that fliesin the skies over them！

如果你曾經(jīng)養(yǎng)過狗或貓，你會很清楚，動物是可以交流的。它們能理解你發(fā)出的簡單指令。當(dāng)你說“獎勵你吃的”時，大多數(shù)寵物都完全能理解你的意思。

同樣，寵物可以清楚地向你傳達(dá)一些簡單信息。當(dāng)它們餓了或渴了，它們會讓你知道。在門上抓撓可能表示“我要去洗手間”；當(dāng)你放學(xué)回家時，舔你幾下可能表示“看到你我真高興”。

既然我們知道動物可以交流了，那么就讓我們來探索一下不同物種之間許多有趣的交流方式吧。然而，僅僅因為它們說的語言與人類說的不同，并不意味著動物不會使用它們的聲音。

許多不同種類的動物使用不同的聲音進行交流。你的狗有沒有不停吠叫想出門溜達(dá)？也許你的貓餓了就會喵喵叫？你所要做的就是花一些時間親近大自然，豎起你的耳朵聽聽周圍發(fā)生的不同類型的交流。雖然你可能聽不懂動物在說什么，但它們肯定在與彼此和周圍的世界交流。

聲音并不是動物交流的唯一方式。像我們一樣，它們可以通過各種方式傳達(dá)信息。例如，狗尾巴的搖晃可以表達(dá)情緒或傳遞信息。

這里還有一些動物之間進行肢體交流的其他有趣的例子：許多不同類型的動物使用氣味發(fā)出明確的信息，告訴其他動物遠(yuǎn)離自己的地盤。

海豚可能會在水面上拍打尾巴，以呼喚該地區(qū)其他的海豚。

當(dāng)蜜蜂找到了花蜜，它們通過“跳舞”告訴其他蜜蜂。

鹿甩動尾巴讓跟隨它們的其他鹿知道有潛在的危險。

動物當(dāng)然可以與同一物種的其他動物交流，但不同的物種間可以相互交流嗎？答案是肯定的！

你見過一只狗與一只貓交流，讓貓遠(yuǎn)離自己的領(lǐng)地嗎？如果你離鳥媽媽的巢太近，也許你甚至?xí)吹剿鼘δ阕龀龇磻?yīng)！

科學(xué)家們發(fā)現(xiàn)許多不同類型的物種以多種方式相互交流。一個有趣的例子是馬達(dá)加斯加的刺尾鬣蜥和綬帶鳥之間的交流。雖然鬣蜥不會通過聲音進行交流，但它們有靈敏的耳朵，因此它們可以聽到綬帶鳥的叫聲。這有助于這兩個物種遠(yuǎn)離它們的敵人：在頭頂上空飛行的猛禽！

（英語原文選自：wonderopolis.org）

Notes

1. communicate 交流；溝通；傳遞

communication 交流；溝通

2. order 命令；次序；以便

3. treat 美味的食物

4. scratch 抓；撓；刮擦

5. lick 舔

6. tail 尾巴

7. scent 氣味；香味

8. territory 地盤；領(lǐng)地；領(lǐng)土

9. slap 拍打；用巴掌打

10. nectar 花蜜；果汁

11. flick 迅速地移動

12. nest" 鳥巢；巢穴

13. spiny-tailed 多刺的 spiny 多刺的

14. enemy 敵人

15. raptor 猛禽