The editors of this volume argue that future research into complex animal societies and intelligence will change the perception of animals as gene machines, programmed to act in particular ways and perhaps elevate them to a status much closer to our own. At a time when humans are perceived more biologically than ever before, and animals as more cultural, are we about to witness the dawn of a truly unified social science, one with a distinctly cross-specific perspective?

Now with over 90% new citations, the text emphasises the general principles that apply broadly across taxa and modalities. The topics covered range from the physics and physiology of signal production, propagation, and reception, to complications arising when sender and receiver do not have identical interests during communication.