Goochie-goo: Monkeys use baby talk
It's not exactly "Peekaboo, I see you."
But University of Chicago researchers have discovered that rhesus monkeys appear to use a form of baby talk.
When looking at babies, adult females emit soft, high-pitched melodic sounds called girneys.
(Courtesy of U. of C.)
Maestripieri's grad student Jessica Whitham collected the data for her Ph.D. dissertation. She spent 12 months observing 19 adult female monkeys on a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico. She took 317 hours of video, and recorded every grunt and girney.
Rhesus monkeys may not be as smart as humans, or even as chimps. But they have a sharp social intelligence. They play complex games, form coalitions and are adept at manipulation. They can be tough and ruthless.
Baby talk shows the soft side of rhesus monkeys -- at least among females. Whitham never heard baby talk from a male.
