Chimpanzee Primitive Language Discovered by Scientists During Response from Fake Snakes [Study]

Chimpanzees and other primates are the closest relatives of humans within the Animal Kingdom, sharing nearly all of our DNA with them.

For decades, chimps have been a subject of fascination and curiosity, ranging from being pets and candidates for experimentation. Despite the genetic similarity with humans, the said primates are still different from us in many ways, notably in the way they communicate.

While chimpanzees also have their own language and way of socialization, its meaning is comprehensible among their species and potentially in other primates.

However, just like in other sentient living organisms, such communication is a natural part of evolution, as seen from large animals like whales down to small ones like ants.

To further understand such a gap, chimpanzee language experiments have been conducted by scientists for years. Now, a new study revealed that scientists may have found the primitive language used by chimps during their response to fake snakes.

The breakthrough study, led by an international research team from Uganda, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, found that chimps during the experimentations use a unique call combination when threatened by an actual snake in a real environment.

Chimpanzee Primitive Language

(Photo : Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)
A chimpanzee is pictured at Dehiwala zoo near Colombo on May 13, 2023.

In the new study published in the journal Nature Communications on May 4, the research team describe the primitive language as "syntactic-like structuring in chimpanzee communication," which means that the primates use communication almost similar to a syntax, which pertains to the arrangements of words and phrases to form a meaningful sentence.

In the research, the team used a 'snake mode' involving a "fake snake" manufactured from a skin of a dead python to capture the reaction of chimpanzees, which showed signs of being threatened similar to a real-case scenario of an actual snake.

The results of the experiment showed the chimpanzees produced the sound 'alarm-huus' when being surprised and 'waa-barks' when apparently recruiting other of their kins for help, as summarized by The Jerusalem Post.

Based on the results, the researchers asserted the chimps used the combinations of sounds when more of their members join the one who originally made the call after hearing such sounds.

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Chimpanzee Language Experiments

Just like other related chimpanzee language experiments in the past, the said study's snake model highlights the importance of communication, especially at times when a certain chimpanzee group encounters a python that is fatal to them.

One of the most notable experiments was conducted by Herbert Terrace in 1973, wherein he conducted what no other scientists or researchers in the field did, teaching a chimpanzee to use the basic principles of language, Columbia University reported.

Last Common Ancestor

Going back to the May 2023 study, the researchers acknowledge the discovery of the primitive language derived apparently from the last common ancestors between chimpanzees and humans, according to JPost.

Chimpanzees and bonobos are our closes relatives in the Animal Kingdom with the human DNA nearly 99% identical to theirs, according to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). One such common physiological feature is that we have large brains like them. However, bipedalism is the one that differentiated humans from our primate cousins.