Join hosts Susan Altruy and Joy Matlock on That’s Wild Podcast as they explore the myriad ways animals communicate—through dance, color changes, smells, and vocalizations. From honeybee waggle dances to skunk foot stomps, squid chromatophores, and the hoots of a great horned owl named Lincoln, this episode reveals how nonverbal and verbal signals shape survival and social bonds in the wild. Zookeeper Hannah also brings Lincoln on-mic to demonstrate visual cues and territorial hoots firsthand.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How honeybees perform their “waggle dance” to share precise directions to food sources.
• The role of body language and color changes (chromatophores) in squids and octopuses, and how those signals convey threat or courtship.
• Why skunks combine foot-stomping with powerful scents to warn predators, and how fireflies use bioluminescent “Morse code” flashes to attract mates.
• The different purposes behind great horned owl Lincoln’s hoots, hisses, and feather-tuft displays, and how visual throat-patches reinforce his vocal messages.
• Practical ways listeners can help minimize road-kill prey signals (like not littering) to protect owls and other wildlife.

Highlights & Key Takeaways:

• Honeybee Waggle Dance: Honeybees waggle through a figure-eight pattern to pinpoint distance and direction to nectar.
• Squid Chromatophores: Squids (and octopuses) control pigment-filled sacs (chromatophores) to flash warning colors, signal mates, or evade predators.
• Skunk Warning System: Foot stomps plus pungent musk are an effective “back-off” communication—watch for raised tail and stomping feet.
• Firefly Flash Codes: Fireflies synchronize blinking patterns as mating signals; each species has its own “light language.”
• Lion’s Roar vs. Owl Hoot: Verbal calls—like a lion’s roar or owl’s hoot—serve for territorial claims, mate attraction, or alarm calls.
• Lincoln the Great Horned Owl: Female horned owls are larger. Lincoln’s hoots mark a roughly one-mile territory and can also court mates. His black eye resulted from a past injury, explaining why he lives at the zoo.
• Owl Vision & Hearing: Forward-facing eyes, a heart-shaped facial disk, and asymmetrical ear placement give owls pinpoint auditory and visual precision—essential for hunting nocturnal prey.
• Preventing Roadside Predation: Avoid tossing food scraps or trash roadside; it lures rodents, which then attract predatory owls to dangerous road edges.

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Little Rock Zoo (and its honeybee exhibit)
• Chromatophores (pigment cells in cephalopods)
• Great Horned Owl (Lincoln)
• Zookeeper Hannah

Quotes:

“Imagine if we could change color when we’re mad—turning bright red might give away too much!” – Susan Altruy “Lincoln’s throat patch literally flashes—reinforcing his hoot for territory or a date.” – Hannah, Zookeeper

Enjoy this fascinating dive into nonverbal and vocal animal “languages,” and be sure to subscribe for more “That’s Wild” episodes that inspire you to value—and protect—our natural world.