Animal communication: Ground squirrel uses ultrasonic alarms

@article{Wilson2004AnimalCG,
  title={Animal communication: Ground squirrel uses ultrasonic alarms},
  author={David R. Wilson and James F. Hare},
  journal={Nature},
  year={2004},
  volume={430},
  pages={523-523}
}
Apart from echolocation and the pursuit of prey by bats, the function of ultrasound in animal communication is poorly understood. This is mainly because of the broad range of responses that it can evoke and the widely varied contexts in which it is used (for example, in rodents of the Muridae family it may indicate distress in infants or a sexual or predatory encounter in adults). Here we find that a purely ultrasonic signal is produced in the wild by a rodent of the Sciuridae family… Expand
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Ultrasonic calls of wild and wild-type rodents
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Frequency characteristics of calls of wild and wild-type rodents are reviewed, together with factors that may affect call design, and there is some evidence for matching of call structure to habitat, function and receiver sensory abilities. Expand
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It is suggested that echolocation calls used during orientation may also communicate species identity, group affiliation and individual identity, and the communicative potential of sonar signals that have previously been categorized as cues in animal social systems are highlighted. Expand
The adaptive utility of Richardson’s ground squirrel (Spermophilus richardsonii) short-range ultrasonic alarm signals
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It is concluded that the size of the active space influences signalling strategy and that squirrels emitting ultrasonic calls can signal conspecifics to the exclusion of distant predators. Expand
Wild tree squirrels respond with multisensory enhancement to conspecific robot alarm behaviour
Natural social communication in animals involves the use of multiple sensory channels but has traditionally been easier to study one channel at a time. As a consequence we know more about the… Expand
Eavesdropping on the Neighbourhood: Collared Pika (Ochotona collaris) Responses to Playback Calls of Conspecifics and Heterospecifics
TLDR
The acoustic environment, composed in part by the vocalizations of sympatric animals, is a major source of information and can be used to fine-tune behavioural decisions and the ability to make use of information from different sources in their acoustic environment likely facilitates pikas’ behavioural decisions that affect foraging, predator avoidance and nepotism. Expand
Infrasound in the flutter-jump display of Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus): signal or artefact?
TLDR
It is suggested that a fundamental deficiency in the apparatus employed in the Lieser et al. (2006) playback study precluded them from reaching any definitive conclusion, and opens the door to further study. Expand
Ultrasonic Vocalizations Emitted by Flying Squirrels
TLDR
It is demonstrated that flying squirrels produce ultrasonic emissions through recorded bursts of broadband noise and time-frequency structured frequency modulated (FM) vocalizations, some of which were purely ultrasonic. Expand
The Use of Ultrasonic Communication to Maintain Social Cohesion in the Javan Slow Loris (Nycticebus javanicus)
TLDR
The first purely ultrasonic call from a strepsirrhine primate (family Lorisidae) is described, recorded in a completely wild setting, and hypothesised about its function, suggesting that the call serves a social cohesion function. Expand
Oilbirds produce echolocation signals beyond their best hearing range and adjust signal design to natural light conditions
TLDR
A frequency mismatch between the reported best frequency of oilbird hearing and the bandwidth of their echolocation CBs is documented, which probably reflects avian constraints on high-frequency hearing but may still allow oilbirds fine-scale, close-range detail resolution at the upper extreme of their presumed hearing range. Expand
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