Chimpanzees Gestures Similar to Human Conversations

Recent research has revealed that chimpanzees possess a sophisticated system of communication through hand gestures, mirroring the rapid exchanges found in human conversations. Conducted by a team from the University of St Andrews, the study analyzed over 8,500 gestures from 252 wild chimps across five communities in East Africa. The findings suggest that chimpanzee interactions follow distinct turn-taking rules akin to those observed in human dialogue. Dr. Gal Badihi, an animal behavior expert involved in the study, noted that while human conversations adhere to strict turn-taking protocols, it was unclear whether chimpanzee communication operated under similar guidelines. The researchers documented a variety of gestures, often used for simple requests like “stop it” or “groom me.” The interactions were predominantly brief, with some exchanges involving up to seven gestures in succession. One notable instance occurred at the Budongo Conservation Field Station in Uganda, where a chimp named Monica reached out to another named Ursus following a conflict, prompting a reassuring response. The study found that chimps typically responded to each other within 120 milliseconds, closely resembling the average human response time of 200 milliseconds. Dr. Catherine Hobaiter, a senior author of the study, highlighted that the quick-fire communication observed in both species may stem from their shared evolutionary background as great apes. This research sheds light on the complexities of non-human communication and its potential parallels with human interactions.