Ape lexicon: Orangutans use 40 gestures to talk
You may call it the ape lexicon, but orangutans use 40 gestures to communicate, say scientists.
A British team at St Andrews University has identified the 40 frequently used body language signals, gestures, smacks and movements, after spending nine months observing orangutans in three European zoos, the Daily Mail reported.
The scientists have found that the apes have at least 25 signals or gestures for “I want to play”, for example — ranging from a back roll and somersault, to a yank of their hair or a bite of the air. Other clowning gestures for play include placing objects on their heads, playing with their faces and raising their arms.
Brushing with a hand means they want something to stop, while embracing and pulling at the same time means they want another ape to walk with them. Other gestures include hitting the ground, swatting, grabbing, and dangling upside down.
The findings don’t just reveal how apes communicate — they also shed light on the origins of human speech millions of years ago, say the scientists. “Many of the gestures are human-like. When they wanted to communicate ‘come here’ one put an arm round another ape. One ‘stop’ gesture was a light tap on the hand — often of an infant — which get the other to stop whatever they’re doing. “A fascinating thing is that there’s not a great deal of variation between groups of apes. An orangutan in Singapore gestures in pretty much the same way as an orangutan in a zoo in Philadelphia or Wales,” lead scientist Erica Cartmill said. The findings have been published in the latest edition of the Animal Cognition journal.
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