Meaning of gestures that wild chimpanzees use to communicate.
Research says wild chimps communicate 19 specific messages to one another with another of 66 gestures.
The Research discovered this by following and filming communities of chimps in Uganda, and examining more than 5,000 incidents of these meaningful exchanges.
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| Image Credit bbc urdu |
They're the only thing that looks like human language in that respect.
Some of the chimps' gestures, used consistently to convey one meaning.
Leaf clipping, for example, where a chimp very obviously takes small bites from leaves is used only to elicit sexual attention.
Many others, though, appear to be ambiguous. A grab, for example, is used for: "Stop that," "Climb on me," and "Move away."
Although many are very subtle, some of the footage captured by the researchers shows very clearly what the chimps mean to convey.
In one clip, a mother presents her foot to her whimpering offspring, signalling: "Climb on me." The youngster immediately jumps on to its mother's back and they travel off together.
Moreover, the meanings seem to not go beyond what other less sophisticated animals convey with non-verbal communication.
Source of articale : bbc.com
