Dr. Con Slobodchikoff is a member of this group and a researcher at
Northern Arizona University studying animal communication. His latest
projects have shown that the warning chirps used by Prairie Dogs (Cynomys
gunnisoni) when they perceive danger contain more information than was
previously thought possible. Con found that the structure of the harmonics=
in these chirps served to convey information to other Prairie Dogs about
the nature of the threat and even the appearance of that threat. He found
consistent modulation in these harmonics that told other "dogs" that there=
was, for instance, a domestic dog in their colony, or that the threat was a=
hawk above, etc. To read more about his work, visit
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~cns3/ .
Now Con and I are about to try something new. As many of you know, I have
been convinced that the vocalizations of many birds also contain
significant, complex and abstract information. I believe that, in some
species, the complexity of the information conveyed vocally approaches and=
rivals that of many mammals, like dolphins, whales, and apes. We would like=
to begin a series of experiments designed to help all of us understand a
bit more about non-human communication, and we need your help to get this
started. The results of this study will be published and may change the way=
we as humans see other animals and their communications.
The first step in this long-term project is to gather data. No terribly
specific data is needed at this point, just various sounds made by animals.=
The only requirement right now is that the sounds must be identified by
species and they must be (or seem to be) associated with some specific
behavior. Examples would be agonistic sounds (used aggressively), feeding
sounds, sounds associated with fright, bonding, care of young, flock
integrity, etc.
If you are interested in helping us with this project we just ask that you=
let me know you are interested and I will let you know what you can do. I
will maintain a list of volunteers (all of whom will be credited when the
results are published) and I will gather the sounds and data that you can
provide. This is a project that could take a year, or it could take many
more, it just depends on what we find and where those findings lead us.
There is no obligation to volunteers, and the amount of time you'll need to=
spend will be minimal. Mostly we just need your sounds and the short
narratives that describe the associated behavior.
Please write to me at or to Con at
and let us know you are interested.
Please help, the members of this group could really make a difference!
Doug
Doug Von Gausig
Clarkdale, Arizona, USA
Moderator
Nature Recordists e-mail group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturerecordists
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