WPA poster by Kenneth Whitley, 1939

The talking animal or speaking animal term, in general, refers to any form of animal which can speak human languages. This can by itself be interpreted in several manners, as listed in the below sections. Download high resolution version (429x640, 33 KB)Kenneth Whitley, Sept. ... Download high resolution version (429x640, 33 KB)Kenneth Whitley, Sept. ...

Imitation of speech

The term may have a nearly literal meaning, by referring to animals which can imitate human speech, though not necessarily possessing an understanding of what they may be mimicking. The most common example of this would be parrots, many of which can learn to speak either through exposure or human training. The hill myna is another well-known mimic bird. Systematics (but see below) Family Cacatuidae (cockatoos) Subfamily Microglossinae (Palm Cockatoo) Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae (dark cockatoos) Subfamily Cacatuinae (white cockatoos) Family Psittacidae (true parrots) Subfamily Loriinae (lories and lorikeets) Subfamily Psittacinae (typical parrots and allies) Tribe Arini (American psittacines) Tribe Cyclopsitticini (fig parrots) Tribe Micropsittini (pygmy parrots) Tribe Nestorini (kakas and... Binomial name Gracula religiosa Linnaeus, 1758 The Hill Myna, Gracula religiosa, is a member of the starling family. ...

Research done by Dr. Irene Pepperberg strongly suggests that parrots are capable of speaking in context and with intentional meaning. Pepperberg's star pupil, Alex the African Grey Parrot, had demonstrated the ability to assemble words out of letters--in other words, to read and spell before he died in 2007. Dr. Irene Pepperberg (born April 1, 1949, Brooklyn, New York) is a scientist noted for her studies in animal cognition, particularly in relation to parrots. ... Alex (1976 - September 6, 2007[1]) was an African Grey Parrot and the subject of a thirty-year (1977-2007) experiment by animal psychologist Irene Pepperberg, initially at the University of Arizona and later at Harvard and Brandeis University. ...

While most mimicry is done by birds, there is one documented example of a harbor seal, Hoover, that would repeat common phrases he heard around his exhibit at the New England Aquarium, including his name. Binomial name Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758 The Harbor Seal or Common seal (Phoca vitulina) is a true seal of the Northern Hemisphere. ... Hoover (1971? — July 25, 1985) is the name of a harbor seal that was able to imitate basic human speech. ... The New England Aquarium is a major aquarium located in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. ...

A recent Internet phenomenon is the case of a cat who was videotaped speaking recognizable human words and phrases such as "Oh my dog," "Oh Don piano", and "All the live long day." Footage of this cat, nicknamed "Oh Long Johnson" from one of the phrases spoken, was featured on an American home video program, and a longer version of the clip (which revealed the animal was speaking to another cat) was later aired in the UK. Clips from this video are prevalent on YouTube. However, it is most likely that the cat is simply making sounds which a human imagination has turned into English words. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... YouTube is a popular video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. ...

An animal language

Main article: Animal language

To take this literally, this would refer to certain species or groups of animals which have a pronounced way of vocal communication, hence having the ability to conduct speech between its members with an understanding of what they are communicating. Although such a prospect may seem unlikely to many, certain more intelligent animals, such as dolphins and the great apes, have shown to make sounds at each other with a marked repetition in vocal patterns, which strongly suggests that they are indeed communicating with each other using their own language. This is widely discussed and investigated. Animal language is the modeling of human language in non human animal systems. ... Bold text This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Dolphin (disambiguation). ... Genera Subfamily Ponginae Pongo - Orangutans Gigantopithecus (extinct) Sivapithecus (extinct) Subfamily Homininae Gorilla - Gorillas Pan - Chimpanzees Homo - Humans Paranthropus (extinct) Australopithecus (extinct) Sahelanthropus (extinct) Ardipithecus (extinct) Kenyanthropus (extinct) Pierolapithecus (extinct) (tentative) The Hominids (Hominidae) are a biological family which includes humans, extinct species of humanlike creatures and the other great apes...

Some researchers use Sign Language to try to communicate with animals that have difficulty with speech, such as Koko the gorilla. As with vocal speech, however, some skeptics consider the results to be another form of mimickry and not true communication. Two sign language Intepreters working as a team for a school. ... Koko (born July 4, 1971, in San Francisco, California) is the name of a gorilla trained by Dr. Francine Penny Patterson and other scientists at Stanford University to communicate with more than 1,000 signs based on American Sign Language, and understand approximately 2,000 words of spoken English. ...

Fiction

Talking animals are a common theme in fiction, especially in mythology and folk tales. Fictional talking animals often are anthropomorphic, possessing human-like qualities but appearing as another animal. The usage of talking animals enable storytellers to combine the basic characteristics of the animal with human behavior: for example in the Three Little Pigs, the supposed animal rapacity of the wolf is shown through its repeated tricking of the three pigs. Other examples include Little Red Riding Hood and the Bremen Town Musicians. For other uses, see Mythology (disambiguation). ... Folklore is the ethnographic concept of the tales, legends, or superstitions current among a particular ethnic population, a part of the oral history of a particular culture. ... Anthropomorphism, also referred to as personification or prosopopeia, is the attribution of human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, forces of nature, and others. ... The third pig builds a house of brick The wolf lands in the cooking pot For the Disney animated short film, see Three Little Pigs (film). ... Wolf Wolf Man Mount Wolf Wolf Prizes Wolf Spider Wolf 424 Wolf 359 Wolf Point Wolf-herring Frank Wolf Friedrich Wolf Friedrich August Wolf Hugo Wolf Johannes Wolf Julius Wolf Max Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf Maximilian Wolf Rudolf Wolf Thomas Wolf As Name Wolf Breidenbach Wolf Hirshorn Other The call... A depiction by Gustave Doré. Little Red Riding Hood is a famous folktale about a young girls encounter with a wolf. ... The Town Musicians of Bremen, erected in 1951. ...

The storyteller may use talking animals for various reasons. It could be intended for a younger audience (such as Richard Scarry's illustrated books), or as a metaphor to show the personality of certain men or groups (Art Spiegelman's Maus depicts Jews as mice, the Germans as cats and the Poles as pigs, among others). There may also be other reasons, such as for the sake of satire in Animal Farm, or artistic purposes. The cover of a Richard Scarry book. ... Art Spiegelman (born February 15, 1948) is an American comics artist, editor, and advocate for the medium of comics, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic memoir, Maus. ... For other uses, see Maus (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal Farm (disambiguation). ...

Fictional talking animals may be roughly classified into the following categories, depending on the degree to which talk influences their behavior. Of course, many cases may be something in between; the classification below is only a frame of reference.

Talking animals which are still animals

The animal retains its original form without much change, other than being able to speak. An example is the donkey of Balaam in the Book of Numbers. Sometimes it may only speak as a narration for the reader's convenience. The characters of the webcomic Faux Pas are another example of talking animals. The rabbits in Watership Down who behave exactly as normal rabbits, except for the ability to discuss their actions, also come under this category. Balaam (Hebrew בִּלְעָם, Standard Hebrew Bilʻam, Tiberian Hebrew Bilʻām; could mean glutton or foreigner, but this etymology is uncertain), is a prophet in the Bible, his story occurring in the Book of Numbers. ... The Book of Numbers is the fourth of the books of the Pentateuch, called in the Hebrew ba-midbar במדבר, i. ... Faux Pas (pronounced fox paws) is a comic strip created by Robert and Margaret Carspecken of R&M Creative Endeavors. ... For other uses, see Watership Down (disambiguation). ...

Animals interacting with humans

Billina, a talking chicken in Oz, by André Koehne

The talking animal concept is featured within much traditional literature, such as in Aesop's Fables, and several mythologies, including Greek, Chinese and Indian mythologies. A notable example from the Judaeo-Christian tradition is the speaking serpent from the Book of Genesis, which tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 390 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (400 × 614 pixels, file size: 41 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Wizard of Oz series: the chicken Billina. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 390 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (400 × 614 pixels, file size: 41 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Wizard of Oz series: the chicken Billina. ... Aesop, as depicted in the Nuremberg Chronicle by Hartmann Schedel. ... Judeo-Christian tradition (also spelled Judaeo-Christian) is the body of concepts and values held in common by Christianity and Judaism. ... For other uses, see Serpent (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Genesis (disambiguation). ... Michelangelos The Creation of Eve, a fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, shows God creating Eve from the side of Adam. ... In the Bibles Book of Genesis, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was the tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden from which God forbade Adam and Eve to eat. ...

Many fairy tales include apparent talking animals that prove to be shapeshifted people, or even ghosts. The fairy tales How Ian Direach got the Blue Falcon and Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray Wolf have the hero aided by a fox and a wolf respectively, but in the similar tale The Golden Bird, the talking fox is freed from a spell to become the heroine's brother, and in The Bird 'Grip', the fox leaves the hero after explaining that it was the dead man whose debts the hero had paid. A fairy tale is a story, either told to children or as if told to children, concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. ... For other uses, see Shapeshifting (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Ghost (disambiguation). ... How Ian Direach got the Blue Falcon is a Scottish fairy tale, collected by John Francis Campbell and included by Andrew Lang in The Orange Fairy Book. ... Ivan Tsarevich catching the Firebirds feather, by Ivan Bilibin Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray Wolf is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki. ... The Golden Bird is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale about the troubled pursuit of a golden bird by a kings three sons. ... The Bird Grip is a Swedish fairy tale. ...

Whether shape-shifted or merely having the magical ability to speak, the talking animals is perhaps the most common trait of fairy tales. The motif is certainly present in many more tales than fairies.^[1] A fairy tale is a story, either told to children or as if told to children, concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. ...

Numerous modern science fiction and fantasy stories intermix human and animal characters. In L. Frank Baum's Land of Oz, animals (such as the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger) talk. The chicken Billina gains the ability to talk when she is swept by a storm to lands near Oz, as do other animals, and Toto, it is explained in a retcon, always had the ability since arriving in Oz, but never used it. In C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, the world of Narnia is ruled by a talking lion by the name of Aslan, and many small characters are talking woodland animals, both of which interact with both the humans of Narnia, and the children who act as the protagonists of the books. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ... Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author, actor, and independent filmmaker best known as the creator, along with illustrator W. W. Denslow, of one of the most popular books in American childrens literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, better known today as simply... Oz is a fantasy region containing four countries under the rule of one monarch. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Clive Staples Lewis (November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an author and scholar. ... The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. ... For other uses, see Aslan (disambiguation). ...

Animals that portray humans

Most people in the industries of professional illustration, cartooning, and animation refer to these types of animal characters as talking animals or funny animals. However, the mainstream news media and members of furry fandom sometimes refer to this variety of talking animals as furries. The earliest example of talking animals portraying humans, as opposed to talking animals portraying animals, was in Vishnu Sarma's Panchatantra (Fables of Bidpai), which was set in a world of talking animals who represent human morals and behavior. This article is about people called professionals. ... Illustration by Jessie Willcox Smith. ... For other uses, see Cartoon (disambiguation). ... The bouncing ball animation (below) consists of these 6 frames. ... Bugs Bunny, a typical funny animal character Funny animal is a cartooning term for the genre of comics and animated cartoons in which the main characters are humanoid or talking animals. ... Some furry fans create and wear costumes of their characters, commonly known as fursuits Furry fandom is a fandom distinguished by its enjoyment of anthropomorphic, often humanoid, animal characters. ... Vishnu Sarma was the author of the anthropomorphic political treatise called Panchatantra. ... The Panchatantra [1][2][3] (also spelled Pañcatantra, in Sanskrit: पञ्चतन्त्र, Five Principles) or Kalīleh o Demneh (in Persian: ) or Anvār-e Soheylī [4][5][6] (in Persian: , The Lights of Canopus) or Kalilag and Damnag[7] (in Syriac) or Kalīlah wa Dimnah[8] (in Arabic: كليلة و دمنة, Kalilah...

Simulated humans

There are numerous series of children's books, such as the Berenstain Bears series, where the characters are written and drawn as animals in order to attract a younger audience. In this scenario the stories may be told with the characters changed to normal humans, and quite possibly the plot will suffer no major alteration. Most of such characters act no different as compared to humans. A good example of this would be Mr. Toad in The Wind in the Willows, who lives in Toad Hall, and drives a motor car. Other characters in The Wind in the Willows are closer to humanised animals, living in burrows, etc. The Berenstain Bears as seen in animation. ... For other uses, see The Wind in the Willows (disambiguation). ...

Exaggerated humans

Reynard, the fox, is a cunning knight in French folklore.

In many fables, each particular animal typically represents a certain human trait, traditionally associated with it. For example, in Western folktales, a fox is supposed to be cunning, a hare is supposed to be a coward (whenever it is brave or smart, this is only with the goal to create a paradox with respect to the common expectation). In these tales, the names of the animals are simply their capitalized names of species: Mr. Fox, Mr. Hare, etc. Different cultures may associate different traits with the same animals. Reynard the fox. ... Reynard the fox. ... Reynard the Fox, also known as Renard, Renart, Reinard, Reinecke, Reinhardus, Reynardt and by many other spelling variations, is a trickster figure whose tale is told in a number of anthropomorphic tales from medieval Europe. ... For other uses, see Fable (disambiguation). ...

Humanized animals

Such animals fall between the previous two categories, that of an animal which possesses both human and animal characteristics. An example is Peter Rabbit, who dresses in an appropriately sized Waistcoat but engages in the very rabbit-like activity of stealing and eating carrots in the farmer's field, then being chased away by the farmer and painfully injuring himself whilst escaping. Peter Rabbit and wife being asked for cabbages by Benjamin and Flopsy Bunny in The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies Peter Rabbit is the main character in a series of childrens books by Beatrix Potter. ... A traditional waistcoat, to be worn with a two-piece suit or separate jacket and trousers A waistcoat (sometimes called a vest in Canada and the US) is a sleeveless upper-body garment worn over a dress shirt and necktie (if applicable) and below a coat as a part of...

Alleged talking animals

Gef the talking mongoose was an alleged talking animal who inhabited a small house on the Isle of Man, off the coast of mainland Great Britain. Opinion is divided on whether Gef was a poltergeist, a strange animal or cryptid, a hoax, or something else. Most doubt the case happened at all as told. Gef the talking mongoose was a talking animal that was reported to inhabit a small house on the Isle of Man, off the coast of mainland Great Britain. ... For the 1982 film, see Poltergeist (film). ... Cryptozoology (from Greek: κρυπτός, kryptós, hidden; ζῷον, zôon, animal; and λόγος, logos, knowledge or study – zoology) is the search for animals hypothesized to exist, but for which conclusive proof is missing. ... A hoax is an attempt to trick an audience into believing that something false is real. ...

Paranormal researcher Charles Fort wrote in his book Wild Talents (1932) of several alleged cases of dogs that could speak English. Fort took the stories from contemporary newspaper counts, but they are unverifiable at this late date. Paranormal is an umbrella term used to describe a wide variety of reported anomalous phenomena. ... This article is not about Charles Forte. ... Wild Talents is the fourth and final book written by paranormal author Charles Fort, published in 1932. ...

See also

• Animal cognition
• Anthropomorphism
• Funny animal
• Talking birds
• Batyr (Elephant)
• South Korean elephant
• Kanzi
• Koko (gorilla)

Animal cognition, is the title given to a modern approach to the mental capacities of animals other than humans. ... 7th millennium BC anthropomorphized rocks, with slits for eyes, found in modern-day Israel. ... Bugs Bunny, a typical funny animal character Funny animal is a cartooning term for the genre of comics and animated cartoons in which the main characters are humanoid or talking animals. ... Talking birds are birds who can imitate human speech. ... This article is about elephant. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Kanzi (born October 23, 1980), a bonobo, is one of the most most famous and accomplished linguistic apes, in research led by E. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh. ... Koko (born July 4, 1971, in San Francisco, California) is the name of a gorilla trained by Dr. Francine Penny Patterson and other scientists at Stanford University to communicate with more than 1,000 signs based on American Sign Language, and understand approximately 2,000 words of spoken English. ...

References

External links

• New England Aquarium's Hoover page

• Listen to Nature "The Language of Birds" includes article and audio samples of 'talking' birds