The hiss has accompanied the human being since he lived in the caves and needed to emit sound signals at a great distance. But until now, no one had ever heard an orangutan whistle in the same way as a human being. The first to do so was Bonnie , a 30-year-old female orangutan who lives in the Smithsonian Zoo in Washington (USA). After hearing one of its keepers whistle, the animal began to reproduce the same sound repertoire. "Being able to learn new sounds and use them voluntarily are two characteristics of human language, and this discovery gives us the opportunity to study the evolution of language in our closest relatives," says scientist Serge Wich, who has released his study with Bonnie in the December issue of the international journal Primates .
Until now it has been shown that both chimpanzees and orangutans can emit certain sounds and vocalizations if they are trained. But it is the first time that a primate has done it spontaneously and, apparently, for the simple pleasure of sound.
If you want to see Bonnie in action, don't miss this video.
