Gestures

Zoosemiotics, the study of animal communication, is a growing field of study of different forms such as gestures, facial expressions, gaze following, vocalization, and olfactory communication. Male humpback whales sing the longest and most complex songs in the animal kingdom. Each song lasts for more than half an hour. These messages can be heard underwater from more than a thousand miles away!

Gestures are one of the most common forms of animal communication. For instance, the herring gull will present its bill to the chicks followed by a tapping on the ground. The babies see the red spot on the mother’s bill and peck at it, which in turn causes the parent to regurgitate food for the young. Dogs have many facial expressions that communicate things like anger, through baring their teeth, for instance.

Vocalizations communicate warnings, conveying food sources, mating rituals, and more. But you can be fooled by animal communication if you are not careful to pick up metacommunication signals. These signals modify certain messages given by the animal. One of the most common examples is when dogs “fight” playfully. Initial “play face” signals and the position of the dog’s tail indicate that what follows is more fun than aggressive.

In the garden of Gethsemane, Judas greeted Jesus with a kiss. But his communication was deceptive. On the surface he appeared to be happy to see Christ, but underneath he was sending a signal to the soldiers. “Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, ‘Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely’” (Mark 14:44). Judas likely hoped Christ would display His power and escape. But that didn’t happen.

Our Lord allowed Himself to suffer and die in order to communicate a clear message of love and hope to us. His meaning was to the point. “I love you and want you to be with Me in My kingdom forever.” Will we receive His gesture of love?

Can we also become so familiar with the sacred that we lose our respect for the things of God?

Key Bible Texts

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3 KJV)