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Dialects in chimpanzees

Study shows human influence has led to loss of chimpanzee culture and calls for conservation strategies to include preserving cultural distinctiveness

A new study, conducted on wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire, provides evidence that the gestures used by male chimpanzees from four neighbouring communities during copulation requests may reflect different dialects. One gesture, used predominantly in one community, disappeared from the repertoire 20 years ago after a poaching incident and did not return. This incident documents a cultural loss associated with human-induced population decline, a phenomenon rarely documented in animals.

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© Antoine Valet / Taï Chimpanzee Project