
ELI5: Do animals from different countries understand each other? - cattlefarmer
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/912fa6/eli5_do_animals_from_different_countries
======
sandworm101
Studies have shown a universal language between dogs and humans. Dog barks
sound the same worldwide. Even humans with no dog experiance understand
various barks, suggesting a genetic language basis. I think any wolf would
have a similar basic understanding of any other wolf.

~~~
wpasc
Can you link some of those studies? genuinely curious

~~~
sandworm101
One that got some media attention a few year back:

[https://drsophiayin.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/04/Yin2004Ba...](https://drsophiayin.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/04/Yin2004Barking.pdf)

Some less-dense coverage:

[https://www.star2.com/living/2018/02/27/ev-when-your-dog-
bar...](https://www.star2.com/living/2018/02/27/ev-when-your-dog-barks-do-you-
understand-its-message/)

"All the people were pretty good at figuring out what was going on. There were
no significant differences between dog owners and non-dog owners. They were
particularly good at identifying dog emotion in Stranger Danger, Guard Dog,
Alone, and Play."

These are interesting studies, but many nevertheless wonder why scientists
bother. Most of us understand a common language for terrestrial animals.
Lower-pitched sounds come from bigger animals with bigger throats. I've never
been growled at by a lion, but I would understand that a deep low growl means
it is trying to scare me with its size. This holds true for bears, dogs, cats,
deer, even humans. Conversely, high-pitched screams are generally calls for
help, mimicking the pitch of the young. Showing your teeth is a near-universal
sign of aggression. Put this all together and it is enough to satisfy most
definitions of language.

~~~
occamrazor
> Showing your teeth is a near-universal sign of aggression.

Smiling humans are a significant exception to this rule.

~~~
EugeneOZ
And evil-smile is an exception to that exception.

------
paulie_a
Sort of on topic: supposedly parrots that learn to talk can teach wild parrots
to talk, but the wild parrot can't continue the trend.

On topic, I have a parrot that can call the dogs name, the dog comes running
and the bird throws food at him...then laughs. Sometimes in a British accent.
I am not sure where he picked that up.

------
sarreph
What about dolphins from other planets? :)

([http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Dolphins](http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Dolphins))

------
KineticLensman
For birds, TL;DR answer is that they can have regional dialects' [0].

The question isn't really whether they 'understand' each other, but whether
the differences cause changes in behaviour. Some birds preferentially mate
with others that sound most like themselves. Others, because nature is
complicated, do the opposite.

[0]
[https://web.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Voc...](https://web.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Vocal_Dialects.html)

------
yohann305
nice thread but no real definitive answer

------
danielmg
[https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/12/30/258393176...](https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/12/30/258393176/make-
it-so-sir-patrick-stewart-moos-in-udder-accents)

------
nanomonkey
There is definitely evidence that some animals have regional/group dialects.
The 52 hertz whale comes to mind.
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/52-hertz_whale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/52-hertz_whale))

~~~
sushid
That whale was just an unfortunate whale that tried to communicate with others
on a different wavelength (literally) due to something physically wrong with
its pitch.

------
izzydata
There are probably nuances that they learn from others in their geographical
location. Perhaps similar to various dialects of the same language.

------
njsubedi
I think animals are divided not by “country” but by significant change in
geographical features of a place where they live. Probably a dense forest
monkey understands the calls from another monkey from a dense forest but not
from a deserted place. It’s only my assumption, as they [have to] learn to
make different sounds based on where they live.. probably.

------
eternalban
The question reminded me of this scene in Bertolucci _The Conformist_ :

[https://youtu.be/L7rX4WOKZ7g?t=1h9m13s](https://youtu.be/L7rX4WOKZ7g?t=1h9m13s)

------
hprotagonist
zebra finches have distinct in-group call patterns.

------
factorialboy
Countries are a human concept.

~~~
bequanna
The question isn't perfectly formed, but I believe we all understand what is
being asked.

