Posts tagged with "Marmoset monkeys name each other"

Sepember 2, 2024

Marmoset monkeys have a surprising method of naming each other—and scientists say they’ve found the first evidence of such behavior, reports The Sun.

Marmosets are native to South America, with a range that extends outside Brazil. The species includes some of the smallest primates in the world.

They are known for having complex speech patterns that help them to communicate in tight-knit family groups. What’s more, a study published in the journal, Science, reveals that marmosets use specific sounds, dubbed “phee-calls,” to name each other.

Scientists say this behavior was previously known only to exist in humans, dolphins, and elephants. The naming of others is a “highly advanced cognitive ability” only observed in social animals.

But our closest evolutionary relatives— nonhuman primates like the chimpanzee and bonobo —weren’t thought to be able to do so.

A team of researchers from the David Omer Lab at Hebrew University made the groundbreaking discovery after closely observing marmoset behavior. The team recorded conversations between monkey pairs, as well as interactions between the tiny creatures and a computer system. The marmosets were revealed to use their “phee-calls” to address specific individuals.

Furthermore, the monkeys could tell when a call was directed at them and were able to respond “more accurately.”

“This discovery highlights the complexity of social communication among marmosets,” Omer said. “These calls are not just used for self-localization, as previously though. Marmosets use these specific calls to label and address specific individuals.”

By studying parent-offspring pairs, the researchers found that relatives use similar vocal labels to address different individuals and even use similar noises to represent names.

This behavior is even present among adult marmosets who aren’t blood relatives, indicating t that hey learn vocal labels from other members of their family group.

“Marmosets live in small monogamous family groups and take care of their young together, much like humans do,” Omer explained. “These similarities suggest that they faced comparable evolutionary social challenges to our early pre-linguistic ancestors, which might have led them to develop similar communicating methods.”

Further research may elucidate how the human ability to communicate evolved.

Research contact: @TheSun