— Archaeologists find new evidence of animals being introduced to prehistoric Caribbean — An archaeological research team from North Carolina State University, the University of Washington and University of Florida has found one of the most diverse collections of prehistoric…
— Microscopic worms could hold the key to living life on Mars — The astrophysicist Stephen Hawking believes that if humanity is to survive we will have up sticks and colonise space. But is the human body up to the challenge?…
— Chemical warfare of stealthy silverfish — A co-evolutionary arms race exists between social insects and their parasites. Army ants (Leptogenys distinguenda) share their nests with several parasites such as beetles, snails and…
— Stinky frogs are a treasure trove of antibiotic substances — Some of the nastiest smelling creatures on Earth have skin that produces the greatest known variety of anti-bacterial substances that hold promise for becoming new weapons in the battle…
— Genetic code of first arachnid cracked — An international team of scientists - including Ghent VIB scientists - has succeeded in deciphering the genome of the spider mite. This is also the first known genome of an arachnid.…
— How bats 'hear' objects in their path — By placing real and virtual objects in the flight paths of bats, scientists at the Universities of Bristol and Munich have shed new light on how echolocation works. Their research is…
— Counting cats: The endangered snow leopards of the Himalayas — The elusive snow leopard (Panthera uncia) lives high in the mountains across Central Asia. Despite potentially living across 12 countries the actual numbers of this beautiful large…
— Surprise role of nuclear structure protein in development — Scientists have long held theories about the importance of proteins called B-type lamins in the process of embryonic stem cells replicating and differentiating into different varieties…
— Pregnancy is a drag for bottlenose dolphins — Lumbering around during the final weeks before delivery is tough for any pregnant mum. Most females adjust their movements to compensate for the extreme physical changes that accompany…
Orangutans use tools to fool predators with kiss squeaks
Clever orangutans are using tools to change the sound of their kiss squeaks' a call made in response to predators. Scientists reporting in Proceedings B of the Royal Society explain how these tools are helping the orangutans of Borneo to trick snakes, tigers and leopards.
The kiss squeak is described as a sharp intake of air through pursed lips which sounds like a kiss. Both young and old orangutans produce this noise when disturbed by potential predators. Larger orangutans can produce kiss-squeak calls with lower maximum frequencies.
Kiss squeaks can be produced unaided, or with hands or leaves held in front of the lips which modifies the sound. Orangutans can strip the leaves off a twig and then hold them in a bundle in front of the mouth. When leaves are used it serves to make the maximum frequency of the call lower.
Madeleine Hardus and her research team suggest that orangutans are using these tools to deceive predators into thinking that the producer has a larger body size than it actually does. Body size deception can be seen across the animal kingdom in other organisms, such as fur-bristling in cats and air-swallowing in frogs.
Youngsters have been seen to kiss squeak with hands and leaves in playful situations, which suggests that practice makes perfect when acquiring the technique. While the use of hands to aid kiss squeaks is thought to be universal behaviour in wild populations, tools are present only among certain groups where they are commonly used. This suggests that the leaves are a useful invention which spreads locally and becomes cultural, and may open up the possibility of cultural evolution in non-human primate communication.
Or subscribe for our Newsletter, a free e-mail publication. It is published practically every day.
Researchers confirm second-ever case of virgin birth by shark
Sequencing thousand and one genomes
Certain fish are capable of glowing red
Bitter-tasting nectar and floral odours optimise out-crossing for plants