#orangutan

#orangutan

Orangutans Use Slang to Show That They're CoolMuch like how we humans have an ever-changing slang that we use within our respective social groups, orangutans also seem to have something similar. Researchers have discovered that these primates create new "kiss-squeak" calls that vary in pitch and duration, and these calls spread quickly through their communities. How long these variations remain in the vocabulary, meanwhile, depends on the density of the orangutan community. A low-density community may have a fewer frequency of new calls, but they tend to stick for a long time. It's the opposite in a dense one, however. The research findings could shed light on where language originates and how it evolves.One of the authors, Dr. Adriano Lameira, explains that since communication is "a cacophony" in high-density communities, individuals want to show off how cool they are with novel calls. But while variations are more frequent in this type of community, they do not stick around for long.While the research focuses on these "kiss-squeak calls," the researchers believe social influence in orangutan communities may not be limited to alarm calls.(Image Credit: Eleifert/ Wikimedia Commons)#Communication #Language #Primates #Orangutan #AnimalCommunication

Winners of the Nature Conservancy Photo Contest 2021Nature is full of beauty and perfection. Being with nature is like looking at a masterpiece. It's a good thing that a camera exists so that we can capture nature's artwork.Photographers from all over the world share their views of nature for the Nature Conservancy Photo Contest 2021. The photos are breathtaking, inspiring, and even moving. The grand prize winner of the contest catches a western lowland female gorilla 'Malui' walking through a cloud of butterflies. This was captured by Anup Shah in December 2011 at Bai Hokou, Dzanga Sangha Special Dense Forest Reserve, Central African Republic.Check out all the images that won by category over at The Nature Conservancy.Image above: Anup Shah/TNC Photo Contest 2021#nature #photocontest #gorilla

Orangutans Spontaneously Learn to Use a Hammer to Crack NutsAnimals using tools are a rare occurrence, and using a tool to crack nuts is considered one of the most complex behaviors in wild animals. Only chimpanzees, capuchins, and macaques have been known to do so. But now, there’s a fourth animal on the list: the orangutans.Researchers gave a large log and some nuts to orangutans living in zoos and observed that some of them spontaneously used the log as wooden hammers to crack the hard nuts. Of the twelve orangutans tested, four learned to use the log as hammers without ever seeing another animal doing it first.“Among the great apes, and after chimpanzees, orangutans are the ones known to have the second-largest repertoire of tool use. However, wild animals have not previously been observed cracking nuts,” said Claudio Tennie of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology at the University of Tübingen. “[The] orangutans themselves can develop this complex behavior purely through individual learning,” added study author Elsa Bandini.Image credit: Claudio Tennie/University of Tübingen#orangutan #ToolUseByAnimals #hammer #AnimalBehavior