Do any animals eavesdrop?

WE MIGHT THINK OF EAVESDROPPING as a uniquely human trait, but it isn’t.

- Beki Hooper

In fact, eavesdropping is an important survival technique for many species. By listening in on what other species are communicating to one another, valuable information can be learned.

On the grasslands of North America, for example, black-tailed prairie dogs make alarm calls when they spot predators. The reason they call is to warn other prairie dogs of danger, so that they can take cover and therefore escape being eaten. But it’s not only other prairie dogs who listen out for these alarm calls. Recently, researchers discovered that long-billed curlew pay attention to prairie dog calls too.