Communication

Communication is the transmission of information from one animal to another. Although communication can be as complex as any set of words ever put on paper, it can also be as simple as a receptor sensing a molecule emitted from another living organism. Indeed, such receptors are hypothesized to be the evolutionary antecedent of communication. From that point onward, communication has evolved to use a variety of modes, including chemical, visual, auditory, tactile, and more. The world of communication that behavioral studies reveal ranges from warning coloration to infrasonic elephant communication to electrical pulses and poses a challenge: what signals do animals use that are beyond human sensory ability?