IE 11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

What is the interspecies Internet?

Answer: a theoretical way for non-human animals to communicate remotely

Great apes like orangutans and bonobos are well-documented using technology like musical keyboards and tablets, leading some to think animals other than humans might benefit from digital interconnectivity. Cognitive psychologist Diana Reiss is working with Internet forefather Vint Cerf, musician Peter Gabriel and physicist Neil Gershenfeld to develop a network of touchscreen devices that would allow animals like dolphins, octopuses, great apes, parrots and elephants to communicate with one another.

Cerf, who was instrumental in developing the technologies that comprise the Internet’s backbone, noted that the Internet shouldn’t be limited to humans. “These actions with other animals will teach us, ultimately, how we might interact with an alien species from another world. I can hardly wait,” he said.