Research Project
How Do Orangutans Communicate?
Do orangutans interact differently with one another in the wild than they do in human care? And (how) do they adapt their signals to different situations?
People use words, gestures, facial expressions, and body language to interact with others. But what does this communication look like among the other great apes?
Our closest living relatives also combine different types of signals to communicate. This is known as multimodal communication. Just like humans, not all great apes express themselves in the same way. Their behavior can vary depending on their environment, social group, or individual personality.
Orangutans in the Wild and in Zoos
Among the great apes, orangutans stand out for their unique lifestyle, as they are considered solitary animals. Nevertheless, they exhibit remarkable flexibility in many aspects of their social behavior, including their communication. This holds true both within the species and across different habitats. Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii), in particular, are known to be the most sociable.
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As part of an international research project in collaboration with the University of Tübingen, Deborah Galeone (a member of the group “Pathways to Language" led by Dr. Marlen Fröhlich) how Sumatran orangutans interact with one another. She studies this using video recordings without disrupting the animals’ natural behavior.
By comparing the same species in two very different environments—in the wild and at the zoo—we can study how orangutans adapt their signals to different situations.
Supporting Nature Conservation and Understanding Our Origins
This research not only helps us learn more about the development of human language; it also plays an important role in improving orangutan welfare, supporting rehabilitation and reintroduction programs, and organizing long-term conservation efforts.
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