“Then, that memorably powerful look into my eyes told me something more: compared to dogs, wolves are grown-ups. He was not asking for help, head down, forehead wrinkled, as a dog might: “Is this right? What do you want?”
Instead, head high, gaze level, he was assessing me, like a poker player: “Are you in or out?” Judging that I was in, he made his move; and we both won. (p.6)”
Source: Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals
“I would expect a significant development and elaboration of language in only a few generations if all the chimps unable to communicate were to die or fail to reproduce. Basic English corresponds to about 1,000 words. Chimpanzees are already accomplished in vocabularies exceeding 10 percent of that number.”
Source: The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence
“Learning how to communicate with animals is just like learning any other language. The more you practice, the better you become.”
“Animal communication is like any other form of telepathic, intuitive conversation. The thoughts and feelings of people and animals carry energetic signatures, communicated through very primal, nonverbal channels.”
“Here is little habit that can make a big difference. Send sunbeams. Intentionally send a word of encouragement or appreciation every day to one person.”
“[Dolphins] produce signature whistles, which are high-pitched sounds with a modulation that is unique for each individual [...]. Females keep the same melody for the rest of their lives, whereas males adjust theirs to those of their closest buddies, so that the calls within a male alliance sound alike. (p. 262)”
Source: Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
“Human spoken language seems to be
adventitious. The exploitation of organ systems with other functions for communication in humans is also indicative of the comparatively recent evolution of our linguistic abilities.”
Source: The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence
“In addition to Ameslan, chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates are being taught a variety of other gestural languages. And it is just this transition from tongue to hand that has permitted humans to regain the ability-lost, according to Josephus, since Eden-to communicate with the animals.”
Source: The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence
“Thus we do not yet have experience with the
adult language abilities of monkeys and apes. One of the most intriguing questions is whether a verbally accomplished chimpanzee mother will be able to communicate language to her offspring. It seems very likely that this should be possible and that a community of chimps initially competent in gestural
language could pass down the language to subsequent generations.”
Source: The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence
“Would the Gardners and the workers at the Yerkes Primate Center be remembered dimly as legendary folk heroes or gods of another species? Would there be myths, like those of Prometheus, Thoth, or Cannes, about divine beings who had given the gift of language to the apes?”
Source: The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence