Can animals talk?

We answer five of the big questions about animal communication.

Can animals talk?
Lots of animals can actually talk, but they communicate differently to the way that we do. Animals don’t have a spoken language but instead they communicate with each other using sounds and gestures. That said, some animals (such as parrots and mynah birds) can make noises that sound like words, but they’re actually just mimicking us and they don’t really understand what they’re saying.

How do animals talk and what do they say?
Well birds chirp and sing, cats meow and purr, dogs bark, growl, whine and howl and dolphins click and whistle. This is all communication and probably means simple things like:”I’m hungry”, “I’m annoyed” and “I’m happy”.

Do they have conversations?
Possibly - some animal communication is very complex. For example dolphins give each other instructions when they hunt fish together in groups and bees do a complicated little dance that tells other bees where they have found food. Some sea creatures including whales, dolphins and even the octopus and squid may have language much more complex than we realise. Cuttlefish for example can communicate with up to four other cuttlefish at once - by using different sides of their bodies to make patterns of light and colour. Whales have very complex songs that we don’t understand, but as they have the biggest brains of any living creature, we figure they must use those big brains for something! As an example of just how big whale brains are, just remember that the next largest known creatures were the dinosaurs – and most large dinosaurs had brains the size of golf balls.

Can we teach animals to speak human languages?
Sort of. Scientists have managed to teach some chimpanzees to speak using different sounds, sign language and computer keyboards. Some chimps can speak with as many as thirty different sounds and seem to be on the verge of human speech. They also use many different facial expressions and gestures like we do. But they don’t seem good at putting sentences together – this seems to be a very human trait.

Will we ever be able to understand animal languages?
Maybe one day we will be able to translate whale and bird songs into words that we could understand using computers and lots of listening. But remember, we can already talk to animals fairly well. For example: try noticing your pet's movements, gestures, sounds and facial expressions and you will probably understand a lot of what they are communicating – without the assistance of a fancy (and yet to be invented!) computer translator.

that is very facinating, i had a parrot once

Did you notice any of the above ways of communication?

yes when it was hungry and i came in it used to chirped loudly, and when i said my name out loud it would repeat me, but not in front of visitors.