communication

In biology, the signalling of information by one organism to another, usually with the intention of altering the recipient's behaviour. Signals used in communication may be visual (such as the human smile or the display of colourful plumage in birds), auditory (for example, the whines or barks of a dog), olfactory (such as the odours released by the scent glands of a deer), electrical (as in the pulses emitted by electric fish), or tactile (for example, the nuzzling of male and female elephants).