What do barks, growls, meows and purrs mean? // Brains On! Science Podcast For Kids

Episode Overview

• The episode explores the fascinating world of animal communication, specifically focusing on the vocalizations of cats and dogs.
• It features interviews with two scientific experts: a feline behavior specialist and a researcher on canine vocalizations.
• The hosts engage a live audience in a "Mystery Sounds" game, challenging them to interpret various cat and dog noises.
• The discussion covers the different meanings behind sounds like purrs, meows, barks, and growls, explaining how context and acoustic properties change their message.

Key Concepts

• Cat Vocalizations: Cats have a wide range of vocalizations categorized into three main types: those made with the mouth closed (e.g., purr, chirp), those with the mouth held open (e.g., hiss, spit), and those made while opening and closing the mouth (e.g., meow).
• The Meow: The meow is primarily a form of communication developed by domesticated cats to interact with humans. While kittens meow to their mothers, adult cats rarely meow to each other, instead reserving it for getting attention, food, or access from people.
• Types of Cat Purrs: Purring isn't always a sign of contentment. Cats also have a "solicitation purr" to ask for something (like food), which has a higher-pitched, urgent quality. They may also purr when in intense pain or distress.
• Dog Vocalizations: Dogs use different types of barks and growls to convey various emotions and intentions. The pitch, tone, and rhythm of these sounds change depending on the situation.
• Contextual Barks and Growls: A dog's bark can be high-pitched and tonal when lonely, but deeper and harsher when warning off an intruder. Similarly, growls can be aggressive, but there is also a higher-pitched, more pulsating "play growl" used during playtime.
• Human Interpretation: Humans are surprisingly adept at understanding the emotional context of dog barks, even without prior experience with dogs. However, people are generally poor at interpreting the meaning behind different cat meows.

Quotes

• At 01:46 - "In our domesticated pet cats, they tend to meow to us but not to other feline housemates." - Feline behavior specialist Sarah Ellis explains that meowing in adult cats is a behavior primarily directed at humans, not other cats.
• At 04:42 - "When they are left alone, they bark high-pitched and tonal... but when there's an intruder at the fence or at the door, they bark deeper and they bark harsher." - Canine vocalization expert Tamás Faragó describes how the acoustic properties of a dog's bark change based on the emotional context.
• At 14:10 - "This is what's known as a solicitation purr... Scientists think cats have figured out that we respond really well to this kind of high-pitched sound, and they've basically used it to train us to do stuff." - The host explains that some cat purrs have evolved to manipulate human responses, similar to how humans react to a baby's cry.

Takeaways

• Pay attention to context when interpreting your pet's sounds. A single sound like a purr or a growl can have multiple meanings depending on the situation, the animal's body language, and the sound's specific acoustic qualities (like pitch).
• Your cat's meow is likely a special communication just for you. Adult cats have adapted their vocalizations to interact with humans, so a meow is often a direct attempt to get your attention for food, play, or access.
• Don't always assume a growl is aggressive. Dogs have distinct "play growls" that are higher-pitched and more rhythmic than aggressive growls. Understanding this difference can help you better identify when a dog is being playful versus when it is feeling threatened.