Tuesday 15 July 2014

Talk Talk?



I must admit to be mildly irritated by the promos for the new BBC series entitled 'Talk to the Animals' (http://www.boundlessproductions.tv/news/read_talk-to-the-animals-for-bbc-one_item_100135.htm) and I never did like 'Dr Doolittle'. It's seemingly based on the view that one ought to find it surprising that animals communicate with each other. There is a long-established literature on the senses (visual, auditory, chemical, and pressure waves/touch) that animal species use to pass on information (or, in some cases, disinformation) to members of their own and other species. I do think that looking at everything from an anthropocentric viewpoint is, to some extent, 'Disneyfying' a well-established body of behavioural studies. I am not sure how much will be added over and above what was dealt with in the earlier 'Supersense' series and note that many of the species 'investigated' appear to be 'the usual suspects'.

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