A juvenile chimpanzee tries to reclaim food that a dominant
has taken away by combining the reach out up begging gesture
with a silent bared teeth face. Credit: A. Pollick, F. de Waal

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Researchers at Emory University studying two groups of chimpanzees (34 animals) and two groups of bonobos (13 animals) observed 31 manual gestures and 18 facial/vocal signals. They found both species make similar use of facial/vocal signals, but manual gestures were more varied, both within and between species.

For example, “a scream is a typical response for victims of intimidation, threat or attack,” said study team member Amy Pollick. “This is so for both bonobos and chimpanzees.”

The message conveyed by a gesture, however, depended upon the social context in which it was used. A chimp in a fight, for example, might extend its hand toward another chimp in a plea for help, but the same gesture made toward a chimp with food signals a desire for a share.

The findings offer clues to the origins of human language, the researchers say. Scientists think communication with body gestures is evolutionarily younger than facial expressions and vocalizations, since apes and humans gesture, but monkeys do not.

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