When Animals Talk
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Joan Lunden
Stanley Coren
Jane Goodall
Marc Hauser
Bernie Krause
Joe Martin
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Documentary that reveals that humans are now breaking the species barrier of communication and are capable of understanding and talking with animals. Experiments with great apes -- such as a 22-year-old orangutan named Chantek -- suggests that the difference between human and animal languages may be smaller than many believe. While it was generally thought that a parrot could not do anything other than mimic, Alex, a 24-year-old African Gray parrot, has proved otherwise. Understanding how some animals communicate means learning the particular vocabulary of their species. For instance, world famous primatologist Jane Goodall explains how the expressive facial expressions of chimpanzees communicate what the animals are actually feeling. Dog expert Stanley Coren tells how it's easy to misread some canine behavior as the language of love.
