Alarm Calls!

 What are Alarm Calls?

It requires years of experience to track a predator in Indian National Parks. Veterans amongst drivers and guides know their national park very well but that too is not enough at times! Its the understanding of alarm calls that decides your chances of a Tiger sighting during the safari.

Even if tiger walks silently through the jungle there are always other prey animals keeping a watch. As the jungle is dense, most of the time you spot the animals by hearing them.

Alarm Calls are the warning calls provided by the prey animal to its herd regarding the predator movement. This call is very high pitched, short and intense in nature.

It is said that the sambar deer's call is the most accurate when it comes to tracking of tigers. Monkey give alarm calls from tree tops. They can spot a tiger or a leopard from a considerable distance. They are like watchman who keep an eye on the surroundings. Interestingly a monkey's call is different when it sights a tiger and different when it sights a leopard. 

Even ground dwelling birds like Peacock and the red jungle fowl alert other animals by their alarm calls. These alarm calls move with the predator and its easy to pinpoint the direction in which it is going.

Alarm calls would be an hidden communication in wildlife!











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