Gorillas Invented Smart Way to "Talk" to their Human Handlers

Gorillas in zoos create a new cry to interact with their human caretakers. Three researchers-two from the University of Georgia and one from Zoo Atlanta-discovered that gorillas at the zoo had developed a new cry that they use to communicate with people-typically those carrying food-at the zoo.

A report outlining their conclusions was prepared by Roberta SalmiI, Monica Szczupider, and Jodi Carrigan and posted on the open access website PLOS ONE.

Gorilla Communication

Gorillas use a range of facial expressions, noises, postures, and gestures to interact with one another. They have been seen making at least 22 different noises to express various emotions, ranging from happy belches to terrified cries. Countless research shows how gorillas are affectionate and caring, as seen through their actions and communication methods.

One of the most well-known human traits is our capacity to create new sounds or words to convey ideas to others. A small number of other animals have been seen doing this. Orangutans and chimpanzees, who lived in zoos, make up the current short list. The study team has discovered that gorillas may now be added to the list in this latest endeavor.

After learning about anecdotal accounts of western lowland gorillas at Zoo Atlanta making unusual noises intended for zookeepers, the researchers started their investigation. According to the findings, the gorillas didn't make noises or vocalizations to communicate with one another or with other animals nearby.

"Talking" Gorillas

The researchers ran a quick test to see if the gorillas' sounds met the criteria for complicated vocal learning. They observed as three distinct situations were presented to eight different gorillas. In one, a zookeeper was nearby but was going hungry. In another, there was simply food. The third had a zookeeper standing close with some food.

According to the researchers, the sound, which has been dubbed "snough," was only emitted by the gorillas when a person was nearby carrying food. As it is known, the snough is described by researchers as sounding between a sneeze and a cough. They assert that it has a connotation akin to the human "ahem," to attract attention and, ideally, earn a food reward.

The researchers mention that gorillas have reportedly been heard making such noises in other zoos. It is unknown if they came up with the call on their own or if animals visiting from other zoos taught them how to do it. The researchers contend that the snough proves that the gorillas intentionally created innovative sounds to achieve a specific goal.

How Animals Communicate

According to researchers, non-human animals do not possess a real language like people. However, they do exchange noises and gestures with one another. Animals have a variety of innate abilities to express their emotions, but they have not created words like those found in human language.

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