Scientists from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, on May 18, announced that monkeys can communicate with each other using sound language, similar to how humans interact.
After observing various animal species at Nigeria’s National Park, researchers discovered that the African green monkey can combine two different calls into a meaningful message to alert each other when they detect danger.
For instance, the call “hacks” signals that an eagle is circling overhead, while the sound “pums” warns of the presence of a leopard.
However, when a sequence of “pums” follows a few “hacks” from one monkey, the group immediately understands that they need to move to a safer area.
This discovery by the British scientists is the first clear evidence of a natural sound system with syntax among non-human animal species.
