Overview

• Researchers observed 22 wild chimpanzees over age 10 in the Kanyawara community of Kibale National Park to record a mix of grunts, barks, whimpers and gestures.
• The study found that offspring communication styles closely mirror those of their mothers and maternal relatives, with no significant similarity to paternal kin.
• Vocal signals were assessed alongside non-vocal cues such as arm movements, gaze direction and body postures to capture integrated communicative behaviors.
• Findings challenge the notion of strictly genetic inheritance by demonstrating a social learning component in primate communication that dates back to a common ancestor.
• The research team is now designing protocols to map how specific combinations of visual and vocal signals pass from mothers to their offspring.