Monkeys Have Unique Vocalizations Depending on Their Habitat
This is the first study confirming that monkeys have distinct vocalizations based on their living environments, conducted by Japanese scientists.
“The differences in the way monkeys communicate are similar to human dialects“, said Nobuo Masataka, a professor of ethnology at the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University.
The research team analyzed the vocalizations of two groups of Japanese macaques, Macaca fuscata yakui, between 1990 and 2000.
One group consisted of 23 monkeys living on the southern island of Yakushima, while the other group comprised 30 descendants of the first group who migrated from the island to Mount Ohira in central Japan in 1956.
The results showed that the island group had vocalizations that were 110 hertz higher than those of the group living in Mount Ohira.
The monkeys on Yakushima island produced sharper sounds because the tall trees on the island interfered with the sound. “On the other hand, the monkeys in Mount Ohira did not have to produce high-pitched sounds due to the lower vegetation in that area. Each group had to adjust their calls to suit their environment,” Masataka explained.
This indicates that the differences in monkey vocalizations are not genetically determined. The findings could provide insights into the origins of human language.
M.T
