Researchers map meerkat chit-chat

[BootinUp]

Snip

“The first sound, a 'close call,' is like a call-and-response exchange between the animals," as postdoctoral researcher Vlad Demartsev from the Cluster of Excellence Collective Behavior describes. "When one meerkat calls, a neighbor is likely to reply," he adds. "Whereas the second call, named a 'short note,' announces 'I am here' but doesn't necessarily get a direct reply from communication partners."

Snip

Staying in a group is crucial for meerkats and they use multiple mechanisms which evolved to avoid getting separated. "When meerkats are by themselves there is a higher chance of predation or harassment by other groups. Generally, meerkats therefore try very, very hard to stay together," says Demartsev.

Full article https://phys.org/news/2024-05-meerkat-chit-chat.html

[Warpy]

1. They'll probably find what they found in prairie dogs

and that is a reasonably well developed species language dedicated to identifying potential predators and finding food sources.

Now that they're looking for it, researchers are finding language all over the place. Maybe some day we can have decent translators so that vets can talk to animals to find out what hurts and people with animal housemates find out what they really think about us. That latter might be tough on the ego, but I've always wondered what my cats called me.

[canuckledragger]

2. We're already there, somewhat.

There's some commercial pet products available that use programmable buttons that use your own voice, where your pet can communicate it's wants and needs to you, once trained.

https://fluent.pet/en-ca

[Ocelot II]

3. But those devices use our language; they just allow pets

to use your words that they recognize. This research is about animals' own languages.

[Ocelot II]

4. I shudder think what my cat's name for me might be.

"The Hairless One Who Feeds Me"?

[rampartc]

5. they know that mrs rampart is "mama"

and that i am the human who roars. who brings light to the darkness and who just might be able to stop the rain.

felines are consdiderably brighter than many credit.

[Warpy]

6. I was thinking

"Big, clumsy ape who brings my food"