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Singing for supper

Nature (2000)Cite this article

It's not only humans that like to eat with friends. Lots of animals ask their pals along to meals. But an invitation from a dolphin, warns Sara Cross, may not be as sociable as it seems.

Word-of-mouth is a great way to find a good restaurant, and humans aren't alone in using this technique. Honeybees (Apis mellifera) direct hive members to prime pollen sources with a 'waggle dance', while house sparrows (Passer domesticus) discovering a wormy banquet sing to invite their pals. Likewise cetaceans -- marine mammals -- call to attract one another to a fishy feast.

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References

  1. Vanik, V.M. 267, 923 - 927 2000.

  2. Marten, K., Norris, K.S., Moore, P.W.B. & Englund, K.A. Animal Sonar: Processes and Performance edited by Nachtigall, P. Plenum, N.Y. 567 - 579

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Authors
  1. Sara Cross
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Cross, S. Singing for supper. Nature (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/news000601-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/news000601-1

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