A study led by the University of Warwick has revealed something surprising about orangutans.
According to research, individuals of this species have an uncanny ability to make two separate sounds at the same time, just like songbirds and human beatboxers.
see more
Macaco-caiarara – Habitat, Characteristics, Feeding and…
collared tamarin
The study, called “Wild orangutans can simultaneously use two independent sources of vocal sounds, similarly to songbirds and human beatboxers,” was published in a scientific journal called PNAS Nexus.
More details about the search
The scientists evaluated two groups of vocalizing animals in Borneo and Sumatra and observed more than 3,800 hours of vocal action. They noticed that primates in both groups made the same vocal sound.
The Doctor. Adriano Lameira, professor at the University of Warwick, explained that just as we use different parts of the mouthto make sounds, like the lips, tongue, and jaw for consonants, and the vocal folds for vowels, orangutans can also utter these two types of sounds, and even both at the same time.
Scientists have seen that male orangutans in Borneo make sounds called "chomps" along with "grumbles" in moments of stress.
Females in Sumatra, on the other hand, release “kiss squeaks” while giving “rolling calls” to warn others about the presence of predators.
What does this say about our evolution?
Madeleine Hardus, who also participated in the study, clarified that we, as human beings, almost never release sounds with and without voice at the same time: only when we beatbox, a vocalization that imitates the rhythms of the hip hop.
This raises the question: Where does this ability come from in humans? The results obtained raise the possibility of having to do with the evolution of our ancestors.
The researchers also highlighted that the vocal abilities of orangutans and other large primates were underestimated, unlike what happened with birds, for example.
In this sense, although the production of two sounds simultaneously is similar to spoken language, the anatomy of birds is quite different from ours, making it difficult to establish clear connections between birdsong and human language spoken.
As a result, the study raises questions about how human speech has developed over time and how musical elements may have influenced this process.