Sound Off

Summary:

Many animals communicate with members of their own kind, as well as with other kinds of animals, by means of sound. Crickets chirp, frogs “ribbet,” rattlesnakes rattle, crows caw, wolves howl, and whales and dolphins “sing.” What do these sounds communicate? With frogs and crickets, the sounds are male mating calls intended to attract females and warn male rivals. The crow’s caw is often an alarm signal triggered by the sighting of a predator. The rattlesnake’s rattle warns possible predators to stay away. The wolfs howl may communicate the location of the pack’smembers or that a prey has been found. Whales and dolphins have a repertoire of “songs” and “clicks” that they use to attract mates, keep family groups together, navigate, signal the location of prey or danger, and apparently to express feelings and moods.

The other half of communicating by sound involves the ability to hear and understand the sounds. A keen sense of hearing is particularly important to animals with poor vision; to animals active at night; and to animals living in dense forests, under water, or in other habitats that restrict vision. The challenge of this activity is that participants have to find their “secret partner” before a “predator” captures them.

Outdoor Biology Instructional Strategies (OBIS) is an outdoor program that offers young people fun and challenging opportunities to investigate ecological relationships in their local environment. OBIS was developed in the 1970s at the Lawrence Hall of Science to help adults (teachers, parents, community leaders) take young people outdoors to experience ecological principles in their local area. We have made several of the original 97 OBIS activities available digitally. These activities, which increase environmental awareness, can be used individually or in combination. These simple experiences then act as a gateway for children and adults to explore and understand their local environment.