The apes like showing how much of a rebel they are
Critically endangered Orangutans have been recorded using “slang” to “show off their coolness” to other apes, a study has found.
Researchers from the University of Warwick have been studying Orangutans’ “kiss-squeak” calls in Borneo and Sumatra. Though it has long been a common belief that such calls are hardwired into the apes, researchers now believe that Orangutans are able to create new versions of this unique language.
Their studies were recently published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.
Like trends in the human world, whether a new tune becomes popular or not is based heavily on the density of the local population.
Evolutionary psychologist Dr Adriano Lameira, who headed the research, explained: “The way I see it is that low densities [of] orangutans have a slang repertoire that they constantly revisit and use. They are ‘conservative’, but once a new call variant is used, everyone hears it and the variant is quickly incorporated, enriching the slang.”
However, Lameira says that communication is erratic and incoherent in high-density areas. “Much like in songbirds, and that individuals want to show off their coolness and how [much of a] rebel they are,” he said.
Lameira’s team spent 6,120 observation hours across six research locations between 2005 and 2010 and recorded kiss-squeaks from roughly 70 animals.
They found that high-density groups used a wide array of vocalisations but they quickly became unpopular. In contrast, low-density groups were less inventive, and specific calls were retained for longer periods of time.
“We do not expect that social influence is restricted to alarm calls, these just happened to be the calls that were most immune to other possible influences,” Lameira said.
Things get a little Planet of the Apes at this point because Lameira cites growing evidence supporting the theory that apes use consonant and vowel-like calls that can be combined to form their versions of syllables. Such sounds can even be used to tell stories.
“This new evidence cements a new view that great apes are highly desirable and unique model species to improve our [understanding] of language origin and language,” Lameira added.
“Great apes and their habitat must be preserved if we are to hold any chances of unveiling further pieces of the puzzle of language evolution,” he said, noting that these revelations could speak on how our own language developed over millennia.
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