The Voices of Nature

How and Why Animals Communicate

Bernard L. Krause, Nicolas Mathevon

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English

Princeton University Press
01 July 2025

Ecological science, the Biosphere; Neurosciences; Zoology & animal sciences; Animal behaviour

Songs, barks, roars, hoots, squeals, and growls: exploring the mysteries of how animals communicate by sound

What is the meaning of a bird's song, a baboon's bark, an owl's hoot, or a dolphin's clicks? In The Voices of Nature, Nicolas Mathevon explores the mysteries of animal sound. Putting readers in the middle of animal soundscapes that range from the steamy heat of the Amazon jungle to the icy terrain of the Arctic, Mathevon reveals the amazing variety of animal vocalisations. He describes how animals use sound to express emotion, to choose a mate, to trick others, to mark their territory, to call for help, and much more. What may seem like random chirps, squawks, and cries are actually signals that, like our human words, allow animals to carry on conversations with others.

Mathevon explains how the science of bioacoustics works to decipher the ways animals make and hear sounds, what information is encoded in these sound signals, and what this information is used for in daily life. Drawing on these findings as well as observations in the wild, Mathevon describes, among many other things, how animals communicate with their offspring, how they exchange information despite ambient noise, how sound travels underwater, how birds and mammals learn to vocalise, and even how animals express emotion though sound. Finally, Mathevon asks if these vocalisations, complex and expressive as they are, amount to language.

For readers who have wondered about the meaning behind a robin's song or cicadas' relentless 'tchik-tchik-tchik', this book offers a listening guide for the endlessly varied concert of nature.

By: Nicolas Mathevon
Foreword by: Bernard L. Krause
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 133mm,
ISBN: 9780691239989
ISBN 10: 0691239983
Pages: 392
Publication Date: 01 July 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Nicolas Mathevon is Distinguished Professor of Neurosciences and Animal Behavior at the University of Saint-tienne, Director of Studies at the cole Pratique des Hautes tudesUniversite Paris-Sciences Lettres, senior member of the Institut Universitaire de France, member of Academia Europaea, a former visiting Miller Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and a former visiting professor at Hunter College, City University of New York. He is also a National Geographic Explorer and has been president of the International Bioacoustics Society.

Reviews for The Voices of Nature: How and Why Animals Communicate

""Winner of the PROSE Award in Biological Sciences, Association of American Publishers"" ""[A] multifaceted delight for animal-lovers and armchair adventurers.""---David P. Barash, Wall Street Journal ""The breadth of research is impressive, as is the direct language used to express the complicated science behind sound itself. . . . Sounds may not leave a fossil record, but Mathevon's research will. ""---Tina Panik, Library Journal, starred review ""Mathevon delivers fascinating insights into animal communication. . . . This will change how readers hear the animals around them."" * Publishers Weekly * ""There's no one better than Mathevon to tell us about how diverse animals talk with one another. . . . His enthusiasm is contagious!""---Marc Bekoff, Psychology Today ""The language flows easily and important scientific concepts, often complex in nature, are seamlessly woven into an entertaining story.""---David Gascoigne, Travels with Birds ""A significant contribution to the art of aural animal science.""---Eric Brown, News Shopper: Wild Things ""This is an excellent book full of fascinating facts, full of detail, but always very readable.""---Patricia MacDuff, British Naturalists Association Bulletin ""Excellent.""---Marc Weidenbaum, The Wire ""The Voices of Nature is an immersive sonic journey, led by a tour guide with extensive knowledge of the subject. Some of the behaviours and adaptations described here delighted me, serving as powerful reminders that we underestimate animals, and that evolution comes up with ingenious solutions to the challenges animals face.""---Leon Vlieger, Inquisitive Biologist ""A good read . . .The book makes a very digestible introduction to the contemporary field of bioacoustics for anyone with an interest in animal behaviour, including chapters on the physics of sound, noise and communication theory, the evolution of hearing, vocal learning and social networking.""---Geoff Sample, Ibis ""This wonderful book takes us on a journey of discovery in the realm of animal voices. It is written in prose suitable not only for students of animal behavior, but also for nature enthusiasts. . . . Nicolas Mathevon has left no stone unturned.""---Alexander N. G. Kirschel, Quarterly Review of Biology ""Nicolas Mathevon takes us on a wild romp through the world of bioacoustics in all its fascinating variety. . . .It deserves a place in the library of anyone who is interested in the sounds that animals produce and what they mean, whether experts or neophytes.""---W. Tecumseh Fitch, Current Biology