The Science of Animal Communication

Since before the publication of Dr. Doolittle, we have been obsessed with communicating with animals.  Whether it’s out pet dog or the squirrel he’s chasing in the backyard, we would love to know what these creatures are thinking.  That is exactly what motivated Amelia Thomas to write her book ‘What Sheep Think about the Weather’, which documents her attempts at understanding how animals try to communicate with us, and each other.  She and I discuss how she spent a day sniffing the world with her dogs, which earwigs have the best personality, and how many different dialects fruit flies have.  We even discuss the Great Ape Gesture Dictionary, which *Spoiler* is way more intuitive than than you think.

*Bonus* Giggles in the Trees

In this episode Amelia and I go beyond the science and discuss the more supernatural elements of communicating with animals, which include animal psychics and prescient dreams.  And it all starts with a distinct giggling in the trees…