Final answer:
Animal communication systems differ greatly from human language, utilizing sound, sight, scent, and tactile signals, which can be instinctual or learned. Sound is used by birds and frogs among others, while sight and scent play a role in stickleback fish mating and tiger territory marking.
Step-by-step explanation:
Differences in Animal Communication Systems
Animal communication can be divided into various systems based on sound, sight, scent, and tactile signals. These systems serve to share information within a species and sometimes even across species. For instance, sound is used by many birds to signal danger or by frogs during mating calls. Visual signals, such as the red belly of a three-spined stickleback, can induce aggression in male sticklebacks and attract females for mating. Scent, another powerful means of communication, is used by animals like tigers to mark territory and relay reproductive status through pheromones.
Each animal species has its own unique ways of communication, and these are often quite distinct from the complex language systems used by humans. For example, the waggle dance of the honeybee is a form of communication that tells other bees the location of food sources but is not equivalent to human language with its syntax and grammar. When comparing animal communication to human language, it's evident that although both are effective in conveying messages, the complexity and abstract nature of human language stand apart.
The comparison to human languages indicates that animal signals are not as varied and nuanced. They do play critical roles in the behaviors and survival of animals, from warning predators to finding mates, but do not possess the open-ended creativity and variety of human language. Animals rely on instinctual or learned signals, which can be quite sophisticated but do not represent the full capabilities of what we understand as language.