Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science

African green monkeys howling at drones teach us about the evolution of language

Before there was the word, there was the meaning of sound.

Tibi Puiu by Tibi Puiu
May 27, 2019
in Animals, Biology, News, Science

West African green monkey (Chrocebus sabaeus) in Senegal. Credit: Julia Fischer.

West African green monkeys produced a new alarm-call when faced with a novel aerial threat — a drone flown by German researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Primate Research. The meaning of this call was learned very quickly by other monkeys. However, this alarm call was not their own but rather belonged to the closely-related East African vervet monkey which uses it to warn against aerial predators like eagles. Taken together, these findings suggest that the call structure was determined many generations ago and was conserved despite the two species diverged evolutionarily.

‘Watch out for eagles’

East African vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) produce different alarm calls for each of its main predators: leopards, snakes, and eagles. What’s more, each of these calls prompts a unique behavior. When nearby monkeys hear the call for “leopard”, they quickly climb a tree, when “snake” is called, they stand on two legs motionless, and when they hear the call for “eagle”, they search the sky and look for a place to hide.

West African green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) in Senegal. Credit: Julia Fischer.

Their cousins in Senegal, the West African green monkeys (Chrocebus sabaeus) exhibit similar behavior. But while they emit similar calls for leopards and snakes, they have none at all for eagles.

In a new study, Julia Fischer and colleagues at the German Primate Center introduced West African green monkeys at a research station in Simenti, Senegal, to an aerial drone. The drone was flown once over 80 monkeys at a height of about 60 meters. Researchers also recorded the sound of the drones and played back the recordings to 16 animals.

When the monkeys heard the played back recordings of the drone, they scanned the sky or ran away, suggesting that the monkeys had immediately learned what the sound indicated.

https://cdn.zmescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/monkey-calls.m4v

The aim of the experiments was to see how quickly the animals learned to recognize the drones as a threat. Much to everyone’s surprise, the green monkeys made calls resembling the calls that East African vervet monkeys utter when they detect eagles.

“The animals quickly learned what the previously unknown sounds mean and remembered this information,” said Fischer, who is the head of the Cognitive Ethology Laboratory at the German Primate Center and lead author of the study. “This shows their ability for auditory learning.”

Although the green monkeys never encountered aerial threats, the structure of their alarm call for drones was almost identical to East African vervet monkeys. Fischer says that this must mean that the vocalization is deeply rooted in the evolution of vervet monkeys.

“Our findings support the view of a fundamental dichotomy in the degree of flexibility in vocal productions versus the comprehension of calls. Collectively, these studies indicate that the emergence of auditory learning abilities preceded the evolution of flexible vocal production,” the authors wrote in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Language is not restricted to humans: Scientists find bird species with its own language
  2. A language that shouldn’t exist may teach us a lot about the origin of speech
  3. The oldest stone cutting tools may have sparked the evolution of language
  4. Strikingly similar ape and human infant gestures hint to evolution of language
  5. In Argentina, rivers are turning green due to blooming blue-green algae
Tags: languageWest African green monkey

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW