Learning the Chimpanzee Language - Simon Townsend

Non-human animals use verbal cues to communicate, but it has been difficult for scientists to prove that they use specific vocalizations to refer to other things in their environment, often food or predators. University of Zurich researcher Dr. Simon Townsend says that chimpanzees are one of the animals that use these "referential calls". The apes are so malleable in their verbal skills that after two chimps were moved from a zoo in the Netherlands to one in Edinburg, Scotland. Once in their new home, over time, the chimpanzees changed their vocalizations used to refer to "apples" to better integrate with their new troop-mates. Dr. Townsend says that despite his time studying chimpanzee calls, he isn't inclined to try to speak their "language".