Tuesday, 22 March 2022

Aping Their Colleagues?

A Warwick University study found that Orangutans, in Borneo and Sumatra, repeatedly come up with new versions of their 'kiss-squeak' alarm calls (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/mar/21/orangutans-use-slang-to-show-off-their-coolness-study-suggests). The new variants of 'kiss-squeak' alarm calls can differ in pitch and duration. Novel calls are more likely to arise in larger, rather than smaller (more conservative), groups of Orangutans. When novel calls arise, they are quickly incorporated into the group repertoire, enriching its 'slang'. The scientist, who carried out the study, thinks that juvenile apes adopt new calls, to show how 'cool' they are. Perhaps these apes are not so different from humans?
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