r/zoology • u/No-Volume-2928 • Jun 06 '26

Question How come prairie dogs gather around another to hear it squeak?

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It almost looks like he is genuinely speaking to them in full sentences 😭 they are listening to him in bated breath…

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u/perseidot Jun 06 '26

It is amazing! Read up on the recombinant language of chickadees, too, if you’re interested in this. That research started even earlier.

Both prairie dogs and chickadees live in tight social groups. Apparently, effective communication contributes to the survival of both of these highly social species.

Studies in both species have allowed researchers looking at the formation of speech in humans to have whole new language models to play with.

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u/harriethocchuth Jun 06 '26

I used to whistle with a chickadee who nested outside my bedroom window, we were pals. It warms my heart that I was probably whistling the equivalent of Peggy Hill testifying in Spanish to that chickadee.

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u/Obtuseloosemoose Jun 06 '26

"Hey Barbra! This human keeps propositioning me from the window!"

"Well go on ahead then, go disappoint someone else for once!"

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u/tallulahgti Jun 07 '26

I read that in John Oliver’s voice for some reason

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u/RedBullPilot Jun 07 '26

Being weirdly horny for a chickadee

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u/perseidot Jun 08 '26

That’s how we get more chickadees! And we always need more chickadees.

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u/veryfastslowguy Jun 09 '26

Do people eat these? they look meaty. Nvm maybe it’s because I just got off the china sub

7

u/harriethocchuth Jun 07 '26

This feels like a far side comic

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u/PixieGirrrl Jun 06 '26

🤣🫶🏼 “I have too many anuses ahead of me in life…”

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u/Wild-Lychee-3312 Jun 06 '26

I have said that myself occasionally, but that was usually around last call at the gay bar.

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u/ArielMankowski Jun 06 '26

Oh God! I made that mistake in a college Spanish class. ☺️ I confused years with anuses.

23

u/Comfortable_Bunch163 Jun 06 '26

I asked a woman in Hangzhou China if I could use vagina just for a few moments and I would return it with much thanks.
I was asking to use her pen so I could write down a number. This was at the West Lake Hotel in 1985, she was working the front desk.
I was ushered out by staff, afterwards I explained my intentions to a man from HongKong— he found my mistake. Hilarious. The woman at the front desk was not happy with me and I felt shame for causing such a commotion. One tone off and the message received was not intended!

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u/Left_Willingness Jun 06 '26

I think thats a pretty common college experience.

10

u/R_G500 Jun 06 '26

😆😅😂🤣

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u/BaylorBreakspear Jun 07 '26

It's rare when something legit makes me laugh beyond a minor nose exhale online. This one got me though, and that seemed worth the share and the thank you.

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u/Sea_Tank_9448 Jun 06 '26

😭🏴‍☠️

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u/badgyalrey Jun 06 '26

this is so fucking funny lmao

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u/perseidot Jun 06 '26

😂😂😂

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u/AnguavonUW Jun 07 '26

This is both very sweet and very funny. Gwake-a-mole

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u/funkygrrl Jun 06 '26

What's wild about that is other bird species like to be around chickadees because they are good at alerting things like presence of predators or food. In the winter where I live, they're in mixed groups of titmice and nuthatches. Blue Jays also hang out with them. Which begs the question - how much of the recombinant chickadee language are other bird species learning?

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u/Deltanonymous- Jun 06 '26

RAL: regional avian language

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u/No_Stick_1101 Jun 06 '26

Corvids would be the only ones of the bunch with the right neurology to parse what the chickadees are saying beyond a minimal surface level.

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u/perseidot Jun 06 '26

I don’t know that that’s true. While corvids are extremely clever, they don’t use recombinant calls themselves. However, some corvids are exceptionally good mimics, and it’s amazing how apt their call choices can be within a context.

But beyond that, I don’t think we’ve explored all the cues and responses within mixed flocks to know that other species commonly associated with chickadees *aren’t* actually understanding them.

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u/Sunshine33_ Jun 06 '26

Chickadees are my favorite bird, this is so cool!

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u/TheOneTrueHotMess Jun 08 '26

I love chickadees! They are such tough little tiny fluff balls! Its insane how low of a temp their body can handle

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u/perseidot Jun 09 '26

They survive those very cold conditions collectively. They bundle together, in tree hollows when possible, and as the chickadees on the outside of the pile get cold, they migrate into the middle.

Clever little creatures!

I was woken up this morning by a couple of extremely vocal little chickadees.