Contributor. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world.Follow Author
Mar 08, 2026, 08:30am EDT1
A Biologist Explains How Prairie Dogs ‘Talk’ About Humans
Most people don’t think twice after hearing the frantic “barks” of prairie dogs when walking through the prairies of the Southwest. However, decades of careful scientific observation and experimental playback research show these calls are far from random. In fact, prairie dog calls appear to carry structured, referential signals that vary depending on exactly what triggered them.
Leading the charge in decoding these vocalizations is ecologist Con Slobodchikoff, whose long-term studies of Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) near Flagstaff, Arizona have transformed how biologists think about animal vocal behavior.
Here’s what he and his team found, and how it challenges the traditional view that vocally conveying complex information is something only humans can do.
How Prairie Dogs Talk About Humans
PROMOTED
In a 2006 field experiment described in the journal Behavioral Processes, Slobodchikoff and colleagues presented Gunnison’s prairie dogs with a range of potential threats, from red-tailed hawks to coyotes and, crucially, humans.
The team recorded the alarm calls the prairie dogs elicited when these predators approached. Consistently, they found that the acoustic structure of the calls would differ depending on the species of predator that was nearby. This finding alone was remarkable, as it showed that the prairie dogs weren’t just alerting one another to danger, but that they were actually specifying what kind.
MORE FOR YOU
FBI Warns Iran May Have Planned West Coast Drone Attacks, Report Says
Mega Millions Ticket Sold In Illinois Wins $533 Million—Here’s What They Could Take Home
BTS And Spotify Launch ‘SWIMSIDE’ Campaign Ahead Of ‘ARIRANG’ Album
However, the findings weren’t limited to just birds and coyotes. In further 2009 research published in Animal Cognition, the researchers had humans of varied sizes and clothing walk through prairie dog colonies. After carefully isolating the vocalizations that resulted, they quickly found that the calls given in response to the humans weren’t uniform either.
More specifically, the prairie dogs’ calls varied with the size, shape and even the color of clothing worn by a human. For example, a short person in a yellow shirt would trigger a completely different alarm call than a tall person in a blue shirt. Crucially, these distinctions weren’t based on the researchers’ subjective interpretations; they were revealed through spectrographic analysis of the sounds themselves.
In experimental playback tests, the recorded calls were played back to the prairie dogs in the absence of any actual predators. In turn, the rodents responded appropriately to the type of threat the call indicated. This suggests that their alarm calls carry meaningful information that the receivers interpret in context.
00:01
03:12
Read More
https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.746.1_en.html#deid=%22%22&eventfe_experiment_ids=%5B%5D&fid=%22goog_577126373%22&genotype_experiment_data=%7B%22experimentStateProto%22%3A%22%5B%5B%5B45713128%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C745150931%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C749060184%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C128%5D%5D%2C%5B841585769%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45761044%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45722344%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45706017%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45740207%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45668885%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45685340%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45734716%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45735891%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45663239%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45715032%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45661356%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B839547366%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45676441%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45675307%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45675308%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45645574%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45688859%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45656766%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45710689%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45710688%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C500%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C500%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45747172%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B775241416%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B781107959%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B781107958%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B792614055%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B781107957%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45753603%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45753604%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45658982%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45725657%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B%5B16%2C%5B%5B1%2C%5B%5B31089630%5D%2C%5B31089631%2C%5B%5B45668885%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B1000%2C%5B%5B95332046%5D%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C%5B%5B95332047%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B10%2C%5B%5B95338769%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45645574%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95338770%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45645574%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C2%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B50%2C%5B%5B95345206%5D%2C%5B95345207%2C%5B%5B45661356%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B1%2C%5B%5B95351425%5D%2C%5B95351426%2C%5B%5B45676441%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B20%2C%5B%5B95356068%5D%2C%5B95356069%2C%5B%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95356070%2C%5B%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95356071%2C%5B%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C100%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B1%2C%5B%5B95373378%2C%5B%5B792614055%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95373379%2C%5B%5B45747172%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B781107959%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B792614055%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B781107957%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C%5B%5B95375930%5D%2C%5B95375931%2C%5B%5B45734716%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95376520%2C%5B%5B45734716%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45735891%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C%5B%5B95378095%5D%2C%5B95378096%2C%5B%5B45740207%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B10%2C%5B%5B95378629%5D%2C%5B95378630%2C%5B%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95381582%2C%5B%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45753603%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95381583%2C%5B%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45753604%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B10%2C%5B%5B95382403%5D%2C%5B95385607%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C100%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95385608%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C200%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95385609%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C300%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95385610%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C400%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95385611%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C500%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B10%2C%5B%5B95385117%5D%2C%5B95385118%2C%5B%5B45761044%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C1000%2C1%2C1000%5D%5D%22%7D&imalib_experiments=%5B95379969%2C95322027%2C95331589%2C95332046%5D&is_eap_loader=false&managed_js_experiment_id=0&page_correlator=1597411202372076&pvsid=8332280352632806&top_accessible_page_url=%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fscotttravers%2F2026%2F03%2F08%2Fa-biologist-explains-how-prairie-dogs-talk-about-humans%2F%22
https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.746.1_en.html#deid=%22%22&eventfe_experiment_ids=%5B%5D&fid=%22goog_577126374%22&genotype_experiment_data=%7B%22experimentStateProto%22%3A%22%5B%5B%5B45713128%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C745150931%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C749060184%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C128%5D%5D%2C%5B841585769%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45761044%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45722344%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45706017%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45740207%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45668885%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45685340%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45734716%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45735891%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45663239%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45715032%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45661356%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B839547366%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45676441%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45675307%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45675308%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45645574%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45688859%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45656766%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45710689%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45710688%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C500%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C500%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45747172%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B775241416%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B781107959%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B781107958%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B792614055%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B781107957%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45753603%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45753604%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45658982%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45725657%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B%5B16%2C%5B%5B1%2C%5B%5B31089630%5D%2C%5B31089631%2C%5B%5B45668885%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B1000%2C%5B%5B95332046%5D%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C%5B%5B95332047%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B10%2C%5B%5B95338769%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45645574%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95338770%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45645574%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C2%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B50%2C%5B%5B95345206%5D%2C%5B95345207%2C%5B%5B45661356%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B1%2C%5B%5B95351425%5D%2C%5B95351426%2C%5B%5B45676441%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B20%2C%5B%5B95356068%5D%2C%5B95356069%2C%5B%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95356070%2C%5B%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95356071%2C%5B%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C100%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B1%2C%5B%5B95373378%2C%5B%5B792614055%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95373379%2C%5B%5B45747172%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B781107959%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B792614055%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B781107957%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C%5B%5B95375930%5D%2C%5B95375931%2C%5B%5B45734716%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95376520%2C%5B%5B45734716%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45735891%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C%5B%5B95378095%5D%2C%5B95378096%2C%5B%5B45740207%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B10%2C%5B%5B95378629%5D%2C%5B95378630%2C%5B%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95381582%2C%5B%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45753603%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95381583%2C%5B%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45753604%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B10%2C%5B%5B95382403%5D%2C%5B95385607%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C100%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95385608%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C200%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95385609%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C300%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95385610%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C400%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95385611%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C500%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B10%2C%5B%5B95385117%5D%2C%5B95385118%2C%5B%5B45761044%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C1000%2C1%2C1000%5D%5D%22%7D&imalib_experiments=%5B95379969%2C95322027%2C95331589%2C95332046%5D&is_eap_loader=false&managed_js_experiment_id=0&page_correlator=130618941845329&pvsid=8332280352632806&top_accessible_page_url=%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fscotttravers%2F2026%2F03%2F08%2Fa-biologist-explains-how-prairie-dogs-talk-about-humans%2F%22
https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.746.1_en.html#deid=%22%22&eventfe_experiment_ids=%5B%5D&fid=%22goog_577126375%22&genotype_experiment_data=%7B%22experimentStateProto%22%3A%22%5B%5B%5B45713128%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C745150931%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C749060184%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C128%5D%5D%2C%5B841585769%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45761044%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45722344%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45706017%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45740207%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45668885%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45685340%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45734716%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45735891%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45663239%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45715032%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45661356%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B839547366%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45676441%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45675307%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45675308%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45645574%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45688859%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45656766%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45710689%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45710688%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C500%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C500%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45747172%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B775241416%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B781107959%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B781107958%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B792614055%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B781107957%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45753603%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45753604%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45658982%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5B45725657%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B%5B16%2C%5B%5B1%2C%5B%5B31089630%5D%2C%5B31089631%2C%5B%5B45668885%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B1000%2C%5B%5B95332046%5D%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C%5B%5B95332047%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B10%2C%5B%5B95338769%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45645574%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95338770%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45645574%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C2%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B50%2C%5B%5B95345206%5D%2C%5B95345207%2C%5B%5B45661356%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B1%2C%5B%5B95351425%5D%2C%5B95351426%2C%5B%5B45676441%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B20%2C%5B%5B95356068%5D%2C%5B95356069%2C%5B%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95356070%2C%5B%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5B%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95356071%2C%5B%5B45685601%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C45685602%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C100%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B1%2C%5B%5B95373378%2C%5B%5B792614055%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95373379%2C%5B%5B45747172%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B781107959%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B792614055%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B781107957%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C%5B%5B95375930%5D%2C%5B95375931%2C%5B%5B45734716%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95376520%2C%5B%5B45734716%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45735891%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C%5B%5B95378095%5D%2C%5B95378096%2C%5B%5B45740207%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B10%2C%5B%5B95378629%5D%2C%5B95378630%2C%5B%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95381582%2C%5B%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45753603%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95381583%2C%5B%5B45729602%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%2C%5B45753604%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B10%2C%5B%5B95382403%5D%2C%5B95385607%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C100%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95385608%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C200%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95385609%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C300%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95385610%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C400%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B95385611%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C45767902%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C500%5D%5D%2C%5B45756824%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2C%5B10%2C%5B%5B95385117%5D%2C%5B95385118%2C%5B%5B45761044%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%5D%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C%5Bnull%2C1000%2C1%2C1000%5D%5D%22%7D&imalib_experiments=%5B95379969%2C95322027%2C95331589%2C95332046%5D&is_eap_loader=false&managed_js_experiment_id=0&page_correlator=2450925530660242&pvsid=8332280352632806&top_accessible_page_url=%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fscotttravers%2F2026%2F03%2F08%2Fa-biologist-explains-how-prairie-dogs-talk-about-humans%2F%22
The Prompt: Get the week’s biggest AI news on the buzziest companies and boldest breakthroughs, in your inbox.Email AddressSign Up
By signing up, you agree to receive this newsletter, other updates about Forbes and its affiliates’ offerings, our Terms of Service (including resolving disputes on an individual basis via arbitration), and you acknowledge our Privacy Statement. Forbes is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
While these vocalizations may sound like chaotic chirps and barks to the untrained ear, Slobodchikoff likens the acoustic structure of their alarm calls to a Rosetta Stone: a patterned system that can, with careful analysis, be interpreted.
This is because each alarm call consists of a rapid series of sounds, composed of varying harmonic frequencies. When these calls are broken down into time slices and analyzed at the smallest meaningful level, the researchers find that calls for different predators cluster differently.
What’s especially striking is that the same basic “phoneme-like” units appear across calls for different threats, but the frequency and arrangement of these units vary in systematic ways.
For instance, imagine the difference between the words “stale,” “slate” and “steal” in human speech. Although the words share the exact same basic elements (being letters, in this case), they’re arranged in different ways that ultimately convey distinct meanings. Prairie dog calls share this feature, which suggests a complexity that wasn’t expected in a rodent communication system.
This acoustic complexity allowed Slobodchikoff’s team to identify not just predator species, but also detailed information about the physical traits of an approaching threat. Notably, this is a degree of specificity that some researchers argue is functionally analogous to words in human language.
Prairie Dogs Use Referential Signals, Not Just Alerts
The key innovation in prairie dog research is recognizing that these alarm calls are referential — that is, they refer to features of the external world rather than merely expressing generalized fear.
This aligns prairie dog calls with other animal communication systems known to have referential specificity, such as the alarm calls of African vervet monkeys that distinguish snakes from eagles and leopards. However, prairie dogs take it a step further by encoding information about the physical characteristics of individual predators.
Referential communication implies that an individual within a group can both listen to and interpret the specific information being communicated by another. This is precisely why a prairie dog hearing a call indicating “human in blue shirt, tall” will react differently than one hearing a general alarm. These reactions — which varied from scurrying into burrows, peering out alertly or scanning the sky — aren’t generic panic responses. They depend on the specific type of threat that’s encoded in the call.
However, despite the sophistication of these calls, it’d be unwise to equate prairie dog vocalizations with human language. Critics argue that although the calls encode detailed information, we don’t yet have reason to believe that these calls meet all the criteria linguists use to define language, such as syntax or generative grammar.
A 2019 study, for instance, re-examined the variability of prairie dog alarm calls. The researchers found that once they controlled for the individual prairie dogs’ identities, some of the earlier claimed specificity was less clear. This suggests that further research is needed to understand exactly how universal and consistent these communicative distinctions are.
Still, even if prairie dog calls aren’t “language” in the full linguistic sense of the word, they represent one of the most complex referential systems documented outside of humans and primates. The fact that a small rodent can produce calls that convey both predator type and descriptive attributes — like the size, shape and color of an approaching human — challenges many of the assumptions we’ve held about animal cognition and communication.
Why Prairie Dogs’ Alarms Matters
Prairie dogs live in highly social, colonial environments where vigilance and rapid communication about threats can mean the difference between life and death. Unlike cryptic animals that rely solely on camouflage, prairie dogs stand above the grass and use their public alarm calls to coordinate group behavior.
In these kinds of environments, the ability to broadcast specific information about what kind of threat is approaching likely provides a significant adaptive advantage.
From an evolutionary perspective, refined alarm calls may help individuals and kin assess risk in varied scenarios. They may be able to distinguish, for example, between an aerial predator that necessitates immediate burrow retreat and a terrestrial predator that might be monitored or mobbed. Adding distinctions about the physical characteristics of the threat (like their size or attire) could enhance survival by fine-tuning group responses.
As technology improves and acoustic analysis tools become more sophisticated, researchers like Slobodchikoff continue to push the boundaries of what we understand about animal communication. Work is currently underway to catalog more of these calls and to explore potential “dialects” across prairie dog species and geographic regions. Researchers are also interested in how young prairie dogs learn to make these calls over their lifetimes.
It’s uncertain whether prairie dog calls will ever be translated in real time or fully mapped onto a human-like lexicon. What’s clear is that these tiny prairie rodents are communicating much more than simple alarms: they might be telling each other who is coming, what they look like and how to respond.
Prairie dogs survive by relying on vigilant members of the colony who warn everyone when predators approach. Curious which animal mirrors your own guardian instincts? Take the Guardian Animal Test to find out.
Exposing the Big Game 