Final answer:
Hyenas use laughter to communicate individual characteristics, reflecting a broader trend in animal communication where vocalizations and displays signal information critical for survival and natural selection.
Step-by-step explanation:
Researchers studying hyenas have discovered that their laugh serves as a communication tool conveying individual characteristics such as age, gender, and status within their group. This form of vocalization is an example of animal communication, where different sounds and aggressive displays can signal a range of information from territorial boundaries to warnings about potential confrontation or even deceitful tactics to access food resources, as observed in some bird species.
While some animals, like the Hadza and honeyguides, use cooperative communication for mutual benefit, others like lions showcase cooperative hunting and shared food consumption within their prides to maximize survival. Similarly, herbivores such as zebras and elephants use group formations to protect their young.
the animal kingdom, various strategies of communication and behavior are vital for natural selection and species survival, including display behavior to reduce actual conflict, as seen in male gorillas and robins, or outright aggressive signals, like a dog baring its teeth.