If you think that eavesdropping is something strictly human, think again. Members of the animal kingdom also indulge in an occasional act of social listening. Of course, the reasons for it are usually more substantial than simply wanting to know what the neighbors are fighting about. A lot of it is related to survival.
For example, spying animals can use the knowledge they gain through snooping around to get more resources. Bees are a great example of that even though they don’t necessarily hear the information.
Bees use pheromones to attract members of the same species to join their hives. Members of other species, though, can also detect those same pheromones. However, instead of following them, they try to avoid them.
You see, bees expect that the resources will be scarce if they enter the territory of other bees. So, they stick to the neutral area where there’s more of a chance to find something delicious.
Some animals use eavesdropping to steal their rival’s girl. Male fiddler crabs, the ones with the funny, oversized claw, use a type of waving dance to attract females of the species. If one of them notices that another is starting their jig, it will start to boogie as well, even if they don’t see a female anywhere around them.
Overhearing other animals communicate can also be used to detect a predator. That is because many species use a certain type of communication method to alarm the others about the possible danger.
Once an animal makes a call that indicates a threat, it echoes through all the surroundings. That means it can be heard by all the species in the area. If there are other animals that are able to recognize the specific cry, they can scurry away as well.
This type of overhearing has been documented in a wide range of species, from mammals, to birds, to lizards.
Believe it or not, our dogs can also eavesdrop on us. Sure, they cannot understand every word we are saying and then gossip about it all with other neighborhood dogs, but they do observe our behavior and judge us for it.
In one study, the researchers observed if dogs noticed how generous people were with food. Some of the human participants were assigned to be selfish, while others were freely sharing what they had. The dogs didn’t bother with the greedy ones much and preferred to approach the people that were willing to give out treats, showing that they understood the behavior and interpreted it accordingly.
