Call of the wild: How science is learning to decode the way animals communicate

The deathwatch beetle goes “tick, tick, tick” in the dead of night as it bangs its head against an old oak beam. A lone wolf howls eerily from the forest depths, while the skylark ascending sings its uplifting chorus from the majestic height of a blue summer sky. These are just some of the myriad of sounds made by animals in their quest to communicate with fellow members of their species. The world really is alive to the sound of living creatures – which can, in turns, feel like music or m