Chimps Johnny and Renata Could Say ‘Mama’ Fluently, Scientists Reveal
Dr. Cornelius and Caesar from Planet of the Apes were not alone. Two chimpanzees could say “mama,” according to researchers analyzing old videos.
The discovery about the chimps Johnny and Renata offers intriguing insights into humans’ closest relatives and the evolution of human speech.
“Our analyses demonstrate that chimpanzees are capable of syllabic production,” researchers wrote in Scientific Reports, Nature reported. “Great ape vocal production capacities have been underestimated. Chimpanzees possess the neural building blocks necessary for speech.”