How do animals communicate?

Animals communicate in many different ways. Some animals use their whole bodies. For example, bees dance to communicate. They send messages about flowers and other places with food. Other bees see the dance and find the food.

Some insects communicate with smells. They produce chemicals so that other insects can find them. Wolves and dogs also use smell to get a lot of information about other animals. And cats like to rub their bodies on things like trees to put their smell on them. The smell means, “This tree is mine!”

Many animals communicate by touching. For example, chimpanzees say “hello” by touching another chimpanzee's hand. When two horses put their noses together, it means, “We are friends.”

And, of course, many animals communicate with sounds. Birds use their beautiful songs to communicate. Dogs, cats, and people all make different kinds of sounds to send many different messages.

A. Write the names of the animals in the box next to the sense(s) they use to communicate.

bees     birds     cats     chimpanzees     dogs     horses     wolves 

Hearing:

Sight:

Smell:

Touch: