Animals communicate through four major modalities. The first is via auditory signals. These are the calls, whines, and noises that each animal makes in order to communicate. Each noise has its own meaning behind it and context is extremely important. For example, during mating season, black-back gulls make a mew sound which is a sign of hunger and the desire to nuptually feed. This same sound is made outside of mating season in order to call in back up for territorial disputes. Another modality would be visual cues such as body position, colorations, and even dance or other ritualistic movements which can indicate a number of things as well. The third modality is the animals chemical signals. As we all know, each organism has a set of pheremones which elicit a response in a partner. This chemical signal is used to signify the beginning of mating season and the organisms ability to mate. Lastly are tactile signals. Organisms may touch or poke or pro at each other in order to send a signal. An example of this once again comes from the black back gulls who's females often rub their heads on a mates neck to beg for food and/or sex. Each modality has unique characteristics and all send different signals to members of the species. Therefore, it is important to analyze the situation in order to try and decipher the message being broadcasted.
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