Chapter 8 Survivor Signals: The Biology and Psychology of Animal Alarm Calling

Abstract

Abstract Alarm calls are interesting for both proximate and ultimate reasons. Because of their usually close connection with relevant events in the environment, they can reveal much about the cognitive processes that take place in callers and receivers. Alarm call studies have helped to clarify what aspects of the environment matter to a caller as well as the cognitive processes by which receivers extract meaning. From an evolutionary perceptive, alarm calls are interesting because they provide somewhat of a paradox, as it is not immediately clear what selection pressures could favor the evolution of conspicuous behavior in the presence of a predator. It appears that all evolutionary forces have had their impact on the evolution of alarm calls, although in species-specific ways. Recent empirical advances in the study of alarm calling behavior are reviewed and discussed in terms of their importance for cognitive and evolutionary theories.