Can the vocalization of marmosets contribute to the understanding of human language and thus also to the development of social communication? The results of a new study suggest so - the exciting findings have just been published in the current issue of the journal “Science”.

Until now, humans, dolphins and elephants were the only species for which targeted, personalized communication “among conspecifics” was considered proven. Whether non-human primates, for example, also possess these abilities was previously unclear. As part of their study, Guy Oren et al. analysed the spontaneous “phee-call” dialogues between common marmosets. The authors showed that the animals address each other in a personalized manner and, in turn, respond more consistently and correctly to calls that are specifically directed at them.

“The fact that these calls are really directed to a specific group member is proof that there is real communication,” commented Jean Laurens from the Ernst Strüngmann Institute on these important results in an interview on the study with the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. “The really interesting question, which goes beyond the behavior of common marmosets, is, what brain circuits underlie vocal communication and identity,” Laurens continues. „Now we are recognizing that beyond just motor action and auditory processing, there is a social component.”

Original publication: Oren G et al. (2024). Vocal labeling of others by nonhuman primates. Science 385, 996-1003. DOI: 10.1126/science.adp3757

Click here for the article “Du kannst mich Affe nennen” (You can call me monkey) in the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung from August 30, 2024: SZ: “Du kannst mich Affe nennen”