How do orangutans communicate?
As humans, we use words, gestures, facial expressions, and body posture to connect with others. But what about the other great apes?
Our closest living relatives also combine different types of signals to communicate. This is known as multimodal communication. Just like people, not all apes «express» themselves in the same way. Their behavior might vary depending on their surroundings, social group, or even individuality.
Studying orangutans in the wild and zoos
Among the great apes, orangutans stand out for their unique lifestyle as they are considered the most solitary. Despite this, they show remarkable flexibility in many aspects of their social behavior. This includes how they communicate, across both species and environments. Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii), in particular, are known to be the most sociable.
As part of an international research project in collaboration with the University of Tübingen, Deborah Galeone (a member of the «Pathways to Language», led by Dr. Marlen Fröhlich) employs video recordings to study how Sumatran orangutans interact with one another, without interfering with their natural behavior.
By comparing the same species living in two very different environments, the wild forest and the zoo, it's possible to explore how orangutans adjust their signals in different situations.
Supporting conservation and understanding our origins
This research not only helps us learn more about the evolution of human language. It also plays a key role in improving orangutan care, supporting rehabilitation and reintroduction programs, and guiding long-term conservation efforts.
Fröhlich M, van Noordwijk MA, Mitra Setia T, van Schaik CP, Knief U. Wild and captive immature orangutans differ in their non-vocal communication with others, but not with their mothers. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 2024 Jan; 78(1):12.
Fröhlich M, van Schaik CP, van Noordwijk MA, Knief U. Individual variation and plasticity in the infant-directed communication of orang-utan mothers. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 2022 May 25; 289(1975):20220200. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.0200
Fröhlich M, van Schaik CP. Social tolerance and interactional opportunities as drivers of gestural redoings in orang-utans. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 2022 Sep 12; 377(1859):20210106. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2021.0106
Fröhlich M, Bartolotta N, Fryns C, Wagner C, Momon L, Jaffrezic M, Mitra Setia T, van Noordwijk MA, van Schaik CP. Multicomponent and multisensory communicative acts in orang-utans may serve different functions. Communications Biology. 2021 Jul 27; 4(1):917.
Fröhlich M, Bartolotta N, Fryns C, Wagner C, Momon L, Jaffrezic M, Setia TM, Schuppli C, van Noordwijk MA, van Schaik CP. Orangutans have larger gestural repertoires in captivity than in the wild—A case of weak innovation? Iscience. 2021 Nov 19; 24(11).
