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Wolves Howl In Different 'Dialects,' Machine Learning Finds (vice.com)

Posted by yaelk on from the the-boy-who-cried-wolf dept.

derekmead writes: Differentiating wolf howls with human ears can prove tricky, so researchers have turned to computer algorithms to suss out if different wolf species howl differently. They think that understanding wolf howls could help improve wolf conservation and management programs. In a study published in the journal Behavioural Processes, a group of international researchers describe using machine learning for the first time to analyze 2,000 wolf howls gathered from both wild and domesticated wolves and their subspecies from around the world.

28 of 50 comments (clear)

  1. Woo guy by n2505d · · Score: 1

    Are you listening?

  2. Awwoooooooooo... by Narcocide · · Score: 1

    ...kiecrisp.

  3. A Joke by Stormy+Dragon · · Score: 1

    What did the Eastern Timber Wolf say to the Great Plains Wolf? "You have the worst accent..."

    1. Re:A Joke by Trepidity · · Score: 1

      It's a good thing your subject line wasn't A Good Joke...

      --
      10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
  4. Re: Suss out? by WarJolt · · Score: 2

    Dude, don't lump me in with him. I think most of us Americans know what suss out means.

  5. Important Stuff (for the discussion) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    * Please try to keep posts on topic.
    * Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads.
    * Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said.
    * Use a clear subject that describes what your message is about.
    * Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments might be moderated. (You can read everything, even moderated posts, by adjusting your threshold on the User Preferences Page)
    * If you want replies to your comments sent to you, consider logging in or creating an account.

    1. Re:Important Stuff (for the discussion) by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      * Please try to keep posts on topic.
      * Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads.
      * Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said.
      * Use a clear subject that describes what your message is about.
      * Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments might be moderated. (You can read everything, even moderated posts, by adjusting your threshold on the User Preferences Page)
      * If you want replies to your comments sent to you, consider logging in or creating an account.

      TYRANT!

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  6. it's not what is said by turkeydance · · Score: 5, Funny

    it's HOWL it's said

  7. Re: Suss out? by PPH · · Score: 2

    And if we don't, we'll suss it out eventually.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  8. If only by turning+in+circles · · Score: 1

    1) we knew what the wolves were saying, and by the way, do dogs howl in different languages? and

    2) the poster sent us to a non-firewalled version of the story, which the authors can do but apparently haven't. (Grr. Elsevier)

    --
    Might as well face it I'm addicted to data.
    1. Re:If only by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      We have known for a while that other animals have regional accents. Dogs can only make a small number of different vocalizations, but cats can make over 100. Sure enough, cats have regional accents.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:If only by Calydor · · Score: 1

      I have seen that behavior in a Lab/GSD mix, with her daughter laying next to her looking quite attentive as if being told a story.

      As a funny side note, said daughter actually had some husky mixed in, yet she never did it.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    3. Re:If only by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      We have known for a while that other animals have regional accents.

      That's right. In Europe, cows say "shazoo."

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    4. Re:If only by jafiwam · · Score: 1

      ... and by the way, do dogs howl in different languages?

      Probably; it's pretty easy to pick out differences in intonation/cadence/etc. if you've ever heard two different breeds of dog try to howl at the same time. Of course, then there's 'husky bitching', which as far as I've seen is unique to that breed. At least, I have yet to encounter another breed of dog that will sit down and start grumble-barking a soliloquy for no apparent reason and for minutes on end...

      I have seen Boxers do that too. In that case, apparently to complain or express displeasure.

    5. Re:If only by Nehmo · · Score: 1

      Probably; it's pretty easy to pick out differences in intonation/cadence/etc. if you've ever heard two different breeds of dog try to howl at the same time. Of course, then there's 'husky bitching', which as far as I've seen is unique to that breed. At least, I have yet to encounter another breed of dog that will sit down and start grumble-barking a soliloquy for no apparent reason and for minutes on end...

      This was the best husky howl I could find on youstube, and it's not that good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      Dogs really enjoy howling. I used to have a bunch of strays, and I lived near a fire station. When the truck would pass by with the sirens blaring, the dogs would all respond, and they loved it! I'm guessing there's an instinctive enjoyment in communication activity. Maybe it's something like human singing.

      I played this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?... for the 2 mutts currently in my charge. They do seem like they are trying to figer out what is being said.

      --
      (||) Nehmo (||)
    6. Re:If only by Progman3K · · Score: 1

      do dogs howl in different languages?

      I suspect they do.
      The only evidence I have is anecdotal but hear me out:
      I love cat videos (yes, yes, I know, very original) and I've watched hundreds.
      One thing I noticed was that cats that came from asia tended to have strange-sounding (to my ears) meows.
      Researchers (not sourced, sorry) have discovered that cats meow not for each other but rather as an attempt to communicate with humans.

      Might cats adapt their meows regionally to maximize their effect with the folks they're meowing at? This is what I theorize.

      So if wolves can howl with regional accents, why couldn't cats/dogs? Albeit for different reasons.

      --
      I don't know the meaning of the word 'don't' - J
  9. Well, duh by Kjella · · Score: 1

    If we knew what they were trying to communicate, we'd probably find they have different languages too. Same as with people, without long distance travel/communication there's no reason to believe they'd share a language. We've seen this both on the macro scale through colonization wiping out many local languages and on the micro scale through building bridges to islands, linguists found that dialects became much less distinct. And with mass media and the Internet I'm sure we're converging even stronger now. Wolves have none of that so I'm sure a US wolf wouldn't understand much of what a EU wolf was howling, but I'm sure they'd quickly work out the basics.

    --
    Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    1. Re:Well, duh by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      If we knew what they were trying to communicate

      It's not hard to determine what wolves are trying to say. After watching this wild life documentary, I'm pretty sure I can speak wolf.

      https://youtu.be/lVN1Apz45AE

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    2. Re:Well, duh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If we knew what they were trying to communicate, we'd probably find they have different languages too.

      Biologists have identified a surprisingly wide range of possible functions: Wolves howl to assemble their pack, attract a mate, mark territory, scare off enemies, signal alarm or communicate their position. Sometimes they howl when they wake up in the morning, like humans yawning during a stretch.

      The news here is how far Machine learning has progressed. They didn't find anything that wasn't already known by biologists.
      When scientists expand into a field they aren't familiar with it's a bit like watching a child learning something that every adult already knows. It's cute, but obnoxious when they proclaim basic stuff as if it was a new discovery for the gazillionth time.

  10. Re:Suss out? by ClickOnThis · · Score: 1

    While we're at it, let's not forget the contributions to the English language that come from The Great White North:

    https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~steffa...
    http://geekmom.com/2013/12/55-...
    http://mentalfloss.com/article...
    http://www.americansguide.ca/i...
    http://www.craigmarlatt.com/ca...

    That's enough for now. Note in particular that Canadians can say "homo milk" without giggling.

    --
    If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
  11. more specifically, a clustering algorithm by Trepidity · · Score: 2

    I guess anything but trivial clustering algorithms are "machine learning", but rather than "using machine learning" it'd be more straightforward to describe them as having "applied a clustering algorithm" to see if calls can be grouped into, well, different clusters. That is an idea that's been floating around biology now and then, with a lot of work on clustering bird calls especially.

    --
    10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
  12. rfc1149 by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 1

    Counter-intelligence.

    Assemble a predatory army to intercept airborne enemy communications.

  13. Oblig. Far Side by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 2

    Gary Larson predicted this.

  14. Aroooooooooo! by antdude · · Score: 1

    Aroooooooooooooo! Arooooooooooo!

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  15. In other news... by elal1862 · · Score: 1

    ...ducks quack in different dialects as well. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/...

  16. Re: Suss out? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Suss you and the horse you rode in on!

  17. Unsupervised Learning by Billy+the+Mountain · · Score: 1

    Sounds like a textbook case of unsupervised learning. Andrew Ng would be proud.

    --
    That was the turning point of my life--I went from negative zero to positive zero.
  18. Coming to CBS - SeaQuest, but with wolves! by modi123 · · Score: 1

    Time to rehash an old show and re-center it around a plucky, but mildly introverted, genius kid who is developing the tech to talk to wolves while the rest of the crew engage in zany adventures sailing the Great Plains in their steam punk land submarine.