Have you ever wondered how animals communicate with each other? Us humans have our own special way of talking, but did you know other animals have their own ways of communicating similar to us? Through vocal labeling, animals have learned to perceive and respond to calls directed towards them. The ability to perform vocal labeling requires high cognitive skills, and has originally only been seen in humans, dolphins, and some parrot species. A new study shows evidence of marmoset monkeys communicating through high pitched, whistle-like dialogues called “phee-calls”, which indicated recognition and identity within these animals.
Because this type of communication is so uncommon in animals, scientists believe this new research could lead to further information regarding social evolution. The goal of this study is to determine if marmoset monkeys use phee calls to label other individuals in their group. Additionally, given that monkeys are very socially active primates, they want to figure out if different monkeys address other individuals with similar labels, and if these labels are learned within their families.
In order to answer these questions, researchers set up an experiment involving pairs of marmoset monkeys. They placed these monkeys in an experimental room where they could see each other briefly, and encouraged them to engage with each other through phee calls. The researchers then separated the monkeys through a visual barrier, so they could not see each other. They used microphones to record the conversation between the pair, and analyzed their interactions.
These researchers were able to find evidence that monkeys do engage in conversation, very similarly to how humans interact. They took turns listening and responding to each other, using phee calls to communicate. They found that these monkeys are able to distinguish between phee calls that are and aren’t directed towards them, and that members of the same family use similar vocal calls. From this it is decided that marmoset monkeys may be one of the few animals that are able to communicate with their family members using specific language, much like humans do!
Oren, G., Shapira, A., Lifshitz, R., Vinepinsky, E., Cohen, R., Fried, T., Hadad, G., &
Omer, D. (2024). Vocal labeling of others by nonhuman primates. Science,
385(6712), 996–1003. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adp3757
