Latest news with #bonobos
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Chimpanzees use some features of language to talk to each other
New research suggests wild chimpanzees have developed a far more nuanced communication system than previously realized, using several mechanisms that combine their vocalizations to create new meaning. These elements of chimpanzee communication, described in a study published Friday in the journal Science Advances, resemble some of the fundamental building blocks of human language. Scientists analyzed recordings of three groups of chimpanzees living in the Ivory Coast and found that chimps can combine their hoots, grunts and calls in a similar way to how humans use idioms or change the order of words to build new phrases. The new research is the first time scientists have documented such complexity in a nonhuman communication system, and they think that the chimpanzees' abilities represent an evolutionary transition point between rudimentary animal communication and human language. 'Generating new or combined meanings by combining words is a hallmark of human language,' Catherine Crockford, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology who co-directs the Tai Chimpanzee Project, said in a news release. 'It is crucial to investigate whether a similar capacity exists in our closest living relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos.' A separate study, published last month, provided similar evidence that bonobos, another primate, can also combine their calls to modify calls and form phrases. Together, these studies suggest both species evolved to develop fundamental building blocks of human language. Bonobos and chimpanzees are the species most closely related to humans in evolutionary history, which means all three species could have evolved from a common ancestor with this ability, a theory that could help researchers understand how human language developed. 'Our findings suggest a highly generative vocal communication system, unprecedented in the animal kingdom, which echoes recent findings in bonobos suggesting that complex combinatorial capacities were already present in the common ancestor of humans and these two great ape species,' Cédric Girard-Buttoz, a researcher with the ENES bioacoustics research lab and the first author of the study, said in a news release. The researchers discovered these new complexities in chimpanzees' vocal system by following particular animals in the field from dawn to dusk for about 12 hours each day, recording the sounds the chimpanzees made and the responses from others in the group. They recorded more than 4,300 vocalizations from 53 wild chimpanzees. During the chimps' vocal calls, the researchers also tracked what activities, social interactions and environmental changes were occurring, and noted if the animals were eating, playing or encountering a predator, for example. Then, the researchers performed a statistical analysis of specific two-call combinations — such as a grunt followed by a bark — that were documented in multiple animals. The researchers found that chimpanzees combined calls in all of their daily aspects of life and that the combinations could express a wide variety of meanings. Simon Townsend, a professor at the University of Zurich who studies cognition in primates and contributed to the bonobo research but was not involved in this study, said the paper is the first to show chimpanzees using several different mechanisms that are considered to be among the building blocks of language. He said the evidence does suggest that the common evolutionary ancestor of bonobos, humans and chimpanzees probably had this ability, too. 'It does seem to suggest that our linguistic abilities were already well on the way to evolving ... 6-7 million years ago,' Townsend said, referring to when the species likely branched off from one another in the evolutionary tree. Not all primates show evidence of such complicated communication. Forest monkeys, which have relatively simple social groups, mostly use vocalizations to manage predatory threats, Townsend said. But he thinks the formation of increasingly large and complicated social groups — an element common to great ape species and humans — likely spurred the evolution of more complex communication and eventually the ability to form language. For bonobos and chimpanzees, 'the biggest challenge for them is navigating their complex social world. They live in much larger groups. … There's aggression, there's reconciliation, there's territoriality, there's intergroup interactions, and vocalizations, I think, is one evolutionary solution to trying to manage these complex and fine-grained social interactions,' Townsend said. In human language, syntax is the set of rules that creates a system capable of expressing an infinite number of meanings. 'Syntax is all about providing more and more precise, refined information. And you probably only need to do that when your social interactions get more complex,' Townsend said. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Primates: Facts about the group that includes humans, apes, monkeys and other close relatives
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Quick facts about primates Where they live: Every continent except Australia and Antarctica What they eat: Mostly fruits, seeds, nuts, leaves and insects How big they are: The smallest primate species is only 5.4 inches (13.6 centimeters) tall, on average. The biggest — humans and gorillas — can be 6 feet (1.8 meters) or taller. Primates are a group of mammals that includes humans and our close relatives, such as apes, monkeys and lemurs. Monkeys, such as capuchins and macaques; prosimians, like lemurs and tarsiers; lesser apes, such as gibbons; and great apes, like gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans, are all primates. Our close extinct relatives, such as the Neanderthals, were also primates. Most primates live in tropical climates close to the equator, though some live in colder or snowy environments, like the mountains of Japan. Primates have larger brains than most other mammals of their size. This gives them advanced learning and problem-solving abilities. Many primates also live in complex social groups and communicate through vocal sounds, body language and facial expressions. Humans' closest living relatives are chimpanzees and bonobos — and a few of these animals have even been taught to understand some human language. Humans are primates, and chimpanzees and bonobos are our closest surviving relatives. Chimpanzees and capuchin monkeys use tools to get food. Primates often groom each other by picking off dirt and ticks, not just to stay clean, but also to build friendships and settle fights. Unlike many other mammals, which can see only two colors (blue and green), most primates can see three colors (blue, green and red). Kanzi, a bonobo born in captivity who was given language lessons, could play Minecraft and Pac-Man, and understand when his keepers spoke to him in English. The first primate-like creatures started appearing on Earth around 66 million to 74 million years ago. But some scientists think these creatures may be even older, showing up around 80 million to 90 million years ago, when dinosaurs still roamed Earth. The oldest primate bones we have ever found belong to an animal called Plesiadapis, which was about the size of a lemur and lived around 55 million years ago. Over time, early primates split into different groups. The first to appear were the prosimians. Next were the New World and then the Old World monkeys. Old World monkeys live in Asia and Africa and have downward-pointing nostrils, while New World monkeys have outward-pointing nostrils and live in Central and South America. Apes showed up millions of years later — Old World monkeys and apes shared a common ancestor around 25 million years ago. About 17 million years ago, apes split into the lesser apes and the great apes. Lesser apes include gibbons, and the great apes include chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans and humans. Chimpanzees' and humans' last common ancestor lived between 6 million and 7 million years ago. Scientists don't know exactly how many primate species are alive today, but there are at least 500. But new primate species are still being discovered, with 130 new species and subspecies being described since 1990. Prosimians are the oldest type of primate. These tiny, big-eyed creatures live in trees and use their strong grip and long tails for balance. Galagos (bush babies), lemurs, lorises, pottos and tarsiers are all prosimians. Many of these species are active at night and use their large eyes for night vision. New World monkeys include capuchins, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, marmosets and tamarins. The world's smallest monkey is the pygmy marmoset, which lives in the Amazon rainforest. Old World monkeys include macaques, baboons, mandrills, proboscis monkeys and langurs. Unlike many New World monkeys, Old World monkeys cannot use their tails for gripping. Ape species are divided into the lesser apes, or gibbons, and the great apes, which include chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans and humans. Apes are highly intelligent and known for their advanced problem-solving and communication skills. Most primates are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. But some species eat more meat than others. Tarsiers eat only meat, and some humans, such as those living in the Arctic, often get most of their calories from meat. Our extinct relatives, the Neanderthals, also ate mostly meat. But most primates eat a diet that is heavy in fruits, seeds, leaves and nuts, with some meat thrown in as well. Chimpanzees mostly eat fruit, but they have also been known to hunt and eat small animals, including monkeys, birds and small antelope. During these hunts, the chimps often work in groups to chase and corner prey, sometimes even using spear-like tools. Chimps also often use sticks to dig out ants or termites inside their nests without getting stung. And sometimes, they even eat their own kind after they have died. Bonobos, a close relative of chimpanzees, eat meat as frequently as chimps do, often feeding on birds, bats, monkeys and small antelope. Great apes like gorillas and orangutans very rarely eat meat in the wild. Capuchin monkeys occasionally eat lizards, frogs, birds and small rodents. Scientists have also seen them eating dead members of their own species. As some of the more clever monkeys, they also use tools, like sticks and stones, to catch prey. Tarsiers, meanwhile, survive on a meat-only diet made up of insects, birds, lizards and even bats. Most primates have opposable thumbs. This means their thumbs can touch the tips of all of their other fingers. Great apes have very sophisticated opposable thumbs on both their hands and their feet. They use these nimble fingers to handle tools, swing between the branches of trees, and groom one another. Nearly every great ape species uses tools. Gorillas use sticks to measure water depth. Orangutans use stone tools as hammers. Chimpanzees use sticks to eat ants and termites, and they have been seen using a spongy mass of chewed leaves to soak up water for drinking. They also use stone tools to crack open nuts. Most Old World monkeys, including macaques and baboons, have opposable thumbs, which they use for handling food. Lemurs, lorises and some New World monkeys, like capuchins, have "pseudo" — fake — opposable thumbs. This means they can partially move toward the other fingers, but not with the same full range of motion or grip strength as true opposable thumbs. Some primates, such as marmosets and tarsiers, have non-opposable thumbs, which cannot rotate or move across the palm to touch the other fingers. Colobus monkeys and spider monkeys barely have thumbs at all. Their tiny, stubby thumbs aren't functional, which means they have only four useful fingers. Colobus monkeys use their hands as hooks for leaping and swinging through trees, while spider monkeys rely heavily on their prehensile tail, which acts like a fifth limb. Image 1 of 5 Many species of primates, such as the lar gibbon pictured above, are highly skilled at climbing trees. Image 2 of 5 There are hundreds of species of primates, each with their own unique characteristics. Proboscis monkeys are known for their unusual noses. Image 3 of 5 Gorillas are the largest living primates. Image 4 of 5 Many species of primates are highly intelligent and have been observed using tools, such as this chimpanzee using a stick to get food from a closed box. Image 5 of 5 Primates, such as these two juvenile bonobos, are highly social. —Monkeys: Facts about the largest group of primates —Chimpanzees: Intelligent, social and violent —Why haven't all primates evolved into humans?
