Animal Calls More like Language

The calls of many animals, from whales to wolves, might contain more language-like structure than previously thought, according to a new study.

Researchers analyzed the vocal sequences of seven different species of birds and mammals and found that the vocal sequences produced by the animals appear to be generated by complex statistical processes, more akin to human language.

Many species of animals produce complex vocalizations such as the mockingbird which can mimic over 100 distinct song types of different species, or the rock hyrax, whose long string of wails, chucks and snorts signify male territory.

While the vocalizations suggest language-like characteristics, scientists have found it difficult to define and identify the complexity and have assumed that the sequence of animal calls is generated by a simple random process, called a "Markov process."

Using the Markov process to examine animal vocalization means that the sequence of variables — in this case, the vocal elements — is dependent only on a finite number of preceding vocal elements, making the process fairly random and far different from the complexity inherent in human language.

Assuming a Markov process exists raises questions about the evolutionary path of animal language to human language — if animal vocal sequences are Markovian, how did human language evolve so quickly from its animal origins?

The new study found no evidence for a Markovian process. The researchers used mathematical models to analyse the vocal sequences of chickadees, finches, bats, orangutans, killer whales, pilot whales and hyraxes.

It found that most of the vocal sequences were more consistent with statistical models that are more complex than Markov processes and more language-like.

Human language uses what is called "context-free grammars," whereby certain grammatical rules apply regardless of the context, whereas animal language uses simple or "regular" grammar, which is much more restrictive.

The Markov process is the most common model used to examine animal vocal sequences, which assumes that a future occurrence of a vocal element is entirely determined by a finite number of past vocal occurrences.

The findings suggest there may be an intermediate step on the evolutionary path between the regular grammar of animal communication and the context-free grammar of human language that has not yet been identified and explored.

"Language is the biggest difference that separates humans from animals evolutionarily, but multiple studies are finding more and more stepping stones that seem to bridge this gap," said lead author Arik Kershenbaum, a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis in Knoxville.

"Uncovering the process underlying vocal sequence generation in animals may be critical to our understanding of the origin of language," Kershenbaum said.

The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

State ready to flaunt its ‘heritage’ animal

Lucknow: As the Union minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh announced plans to declare the elephant as the “national heritage animal”, the state got another reason to smile.

Uttar Pradesh, which already has an exclusive elephant reserve and a sizeable population of the pachyderm, is now planning to get Central support for protection and conservation of the animal.

Ramesh has also announced that a National Elephant Conservation Authority (NECA) will be formed on the lines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).



Uttar Pradesh is one of the few states in the country which has its own forest reserve. In September 2009, the state declared the Shivalik Forest Range in Bijnore's Nazibabad forest division as an Elephant Reserve.

The range, which shares borders with the Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand, is one of the key habitats of the elephant and covers 744 square kilometres. Currently, there are 30 elephants in the reserve.




The conservator (Saharanpur circle), Sunil Pandey, said: "This figure is from the elephant census conducted in May, but it is fluctuating since it is connected with the Rajaji National Park and the elephant is a migratory animal and keeps moving between the two states."

During summer, the animal moves towards the hill area and the figures show a decline, added Pandey.



Apart from the Shivalik range, the state also has elephant population in the Dudhwa National Park, which shares its borders with the Shuklafanta range in Nepal. In the last census, the area saw the presence of 11 tuskers.

The Forest Department -- alongwith the World Wildlife Fund and the forest ministry, Nepal -- is also running an awareness programme in the area as the Tarai belt witnesses herds of elephants migrating from Nepal to UP.



Field director, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Shailesh Prasad, said; "This area has always been a traditional elephant territory and the population keeps changing. We are trying to create a specific zone and identify the animal's route from Nepal to UP."

The state forest department is now planning projects that it will be sending to the Union ministry.

A senior official said: "We have a reserve which can get a better push with the Centre's support. And among the northern states, we have a good population too. Hence, we are planning to come up with proposals for the animal's conservation, for which we can seek the Union ministry's support."

Source: The Indian Express
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