Orangutans use mime to communicate with humans and each other
Studies analyzing some 20 years of footage taken of Orangutans in the jungles of Borneo are giving scientists fascinating insights into how these great apes communicate. The footage shows the orangutans using mime as a means ‘talking’ with one another. These messages include the desire to have an itch scratched and a termite nest opened. From an article in the Guardian: The study suggests they are capable of more complex communication than previously thought, and resort to mimes to elaborate on messages directed at other apes and their former keepers. The orangutans observed formerly lived in captivity, but the footage,…
