With their sophisticated social structure and precious way of standing on two legs, prairie dogs seem to have something in common with humans. Now, new research indicates these furry fellows may have a more complex vocal structure than imagined. Yes, prairie dogs can talk to one another!
The sounds they make are much more that just simple shouts and squeals that indicate danger, these small mammals can convey a lot of meaning through the different vocalizations they make. A 25-year study of the Gunnison’s prairie dog, which lives in New Mexico and Arizona, has deciphered a sophisticated set of sounds that can relay an incredible amount of detail.
Remarkably, these prairie dogs can not only identify threats to the colony, but can specify the type of danger. The warning for a hawk circling overhead will have one sound, wherein a nearby coyote will elicit another. They can even offer details like size and appearance of the threatening animal. They can tell the difference between a large dog and a coyote, and have a specific call for each. Acoustical analysis conducted in laboratories can break down exactly what the prairie dogs are saying.
Observing the prairie dog colony and noting what sounds were made under different circumstances, researchers were able to compile a vocabulary list of sorts. They even have a specific set of sounds for humans, and they might not always be kind. They can alert others of the size and shape of the human, as well as what they’re wearing. A prairie dog may not come right out and say, “Here comes a short, fat guy in a yellow shirt!” but the rest of the colony will interpret the alarm call and understand what to be on the lookout for.
Sounds pretty amazing, right? One experiment used the same person to approach the colony several times wearing different clothing, which revealed that the calls changed subtly each time. The prairie dog would be able to call out the size and appearance of the person, but the sounds would be altered slightly depending on what the person was wearing.
Featured Image from Kevin Jansen/Unsplash
