You know, we're NOT far from interspecies communication as it is. We've already found that gorillas and other primates CAN use sign language and know what it means, showing obvious intelligence, if different from our's. And I'm sure it would NOT be difficult to develop communications with animals such as the octopus using a board where they could touch buttons to signal and communicate. We'd obviously start with simple concepts, warm, cold, hungry, etc., and move from there.