Learning to read an animal's warning signs can save you a lot of trouble. One day I was watching a paper wasp nest, and I started thinking about people: what we are afraid of, and how bad we are at noticing what other animals are telling us. Most animals talk with their bodies. They use signals and postures, and other animals understand them, even animals of a completely different kind. Humans seem to be the only ones who miss the message, as if we expect every warning to be spoken in English. People love to call animals "aggressive," but an animal that picked fights with creatures ten times its size would not survive long.
This lesson is part of Certified Junior Herpetologist. Enrollment is self-paced, with no deadline to finish (about 30 hours).
