Monday, May 2, 2011

Bonobos "chat" about good foods

A new study was done in the UK that shows Bonobo monkeys tell each other specific details about food quality like less/more preffered food. Depending on what they find they change the pitch of their calls to communicate with other bonobos; some are grunts, peeps, or barks. However these calls are not like syntax where humans put words in order and things like that, although there are similarities on how humans listen to and interpret messages and how Bonobos listen to and interpret messages.
This study made me think of the lecture we went through on language and art that talked about how bees, primates, and mockingbirds can learn different calls/dances and have different calls/dances that mean different things, and even learn how to communicate through signing. Like the vervet monkeys who have different calls for certain types of danger like leopards and snakes, the bonobos have different calls for different types and qualities of food. However, like the Washoe version of ASL, the type of calls and communication the bonobos use is not an exact language. It's just the way these monkeys communicate and can understand each other. This study just shows that even though humans are the only ones that actually speak and form actual sentences and conversations, there are still other ways of communicating which is how bonobos (and other species) communicate.

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