When presented with their favorite foods, the bonobos almost always barked. They grunted when encountering their least favorites. The other calls seemed to signify ratings in between, with peep-yelps falling in the middle range for nibbles the individual thought were so-so. "Finding food is one of the most important challenges to any wild animal, and thus any signal indicating the discovery of food may provide useful information to receivers," Clay explained. "If variation in the vocal sequences provides information about food quality, receivers may be able to use this to decide whether to abandon a current activity or not." The scientists suspect bonobos combine calls to produce more complex sequences, but she said, "Our understanding of bonobo vocalizations is in its infancy and this study is just tapping into a vocal system that is not yet fully understood." The linguistic abilities of non-human primates have been debated for decades, with some researchers hesitant to think that these animals, and others, meaningfully transmit specific information to each other using sophisticated calls. "The resistance to this in the scientific community is enormous," said William Fields, director of bonobo research at Iowa's Great Ape Trust. Related Links: |
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