Animal Communication

Animal communication is any behavior on the part of one animal that has an effect on the current or future behaviour of another animal. The study of animal communication — sometimes called Zoosemiotics (defined as the study of sign communication or semiosis in animals; distinguishable from anthroposemiotics, the study of human communication) — has played an important part in the methodology of ethology, sociobiology, and the study of animal cognition.

Animal communication, and the understanding of the animal world in general, is a rapidly growing field. Even in the 21st century, many prior understandings related to diverse fields such as personal symbolic name use, animal emotions, animal culture and learning, and even sexual conduct, long thought to be well understood, have been revolutionized.