Animal Communication: Neurobiological, chemical, and physiological aspects

Understanding the complex mechanisms that integrate animal communication is essential in veterinary science and animal behavior studies, as it reveals the intricate ways animals interact with their environment and within their social groups. This knowledge is crucial to optimizing the welfare of farm animals, enhancing the quality of life for companion and laboratory animals, and contributing to wildlife conservation efforts. Furthermore, it enables the early identification of potential diseases in animals.

Animal communication encompasses both verbal and non-verbal language, including vocalizations, postures, gestures, facial expressions, and physiological responses. Vocalizations—such as calls or growls—convey emotions, intentions, and social status, while body language—through postures and movements—expresses dominance, submission, and readiness to mate. Physiological responses (changes in heart rate, respiration, body temperature, and hormone levels) reflect the animal’s internal state and response to stress or threat stimuli.

Emotions and facial expressions constitute another crucial dimension, revealing emotional states that influence social dynamics, reproductive success, and survival strategies. The neurobiological relationship between emotions and facial expressions in non-human mammals is a central theme of this Research Topic, as facial expressions reflecting fear, pain, aggression, or satisfaction allow conspecifics to respond appropriately, thereby reinforcing rejection or social cohesion. These findings are fundamental for understanding intra- and interspecies interactions, contributing to animal welfare and to the human-animal relationships.

Animal communication is essential to ensuring quality of life and positive welfare, as it enables the evaluation and optimization of the conditions in which animals live and interact. By identifying and responding to animals' emotional and social needs through non-verbal language, we can develop management and care practices that strengthen their overall health and well-being. This deep understanding of animal communication systems enhances the human-animal relationships and enables the achievement of higher standards of welfare and quality of life across species.

This Research Topic aims to evaluate, discuss, and explore the diverse mechanisms of animal communication, including chemical, vocal, bodily, gestural, and behavioral pathways, with a particular focus on critical events such as birthing, mother-offspring bonding, nursing, courtship, mating, territorial defense, and offspring care. Furthermore, it seeks to examine how communication is influenced by both positive and negative interactions with caregivers or handlers, as well as within human-animal relationships across a wide range of contexts. These include companion animals, zoo animals, laboratory animals, farm animals, and wildlife in their natural habitats or under various housing conditions, such as conservation units, laboratories, slaughterhouses, farms, and ranches.

We welcome submissions of original research articles and innovative, comprehensive, or systematic reviews in the fields of behavioral neuroscience, semiochemistry, and the neurobiology of animal communication. We invite manuscripts that delve into the neurobiological underpinnings of behavior, chemical communication pathways, and the pathophysiological responses linked to animal communication. By integrating disciplines such as physiology, ethology, pathology, and semiochemistry, this topic aims to leverage cutting-edge tools—including ethograms, biomarkers, facial action units (FACs), pain and quality-of-life scales, infrared thermography, and pupillometry—to provide novel insights into the mechanisms and interpretation of animal communication.

Keywords: chemical communication, behavioral neuroscience, facial expressions, emotions, non-verbal language, body language

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.