目前,，最新研究發(fā)現(xiàn)野生黑猩猩用于溝通交流的手勢動作是此前科學家所判斷的兩倍,，至少有66種不同手勢,。
蘇格蘭圣安德魯斯大學研究人員稱,，黑猩猩彼此進行交流時至少使用66種不同的手勢
蘇格蘭圣安德魯斯大學研究人員稱，黑猩猩彼此進行交流時至少使用66種不同的手勢,，而此前科學家認為它們僅有30種不同的手勢,，當時研究人員僅是對動物園內飼養(yǎng)的動物進行觀察統(tǒng)計。
圣安德魯斯大學凱瑟琳-霍巴特(Catherine Hobaiter)博士和她的研究小組花費兩年時間對烏干達布頓哥野生動物保護站120小時的黑猩猩視頻進行分析獲得此項研究結果,，他們近距離研究黑猩猩的重復性手勢動作,，從而推斷此前的研究并未完全地了解黑猩猩的手勢語言。
霍巴特博士在接受英國廣播公司記者采訪時說：“我們認為此前研究人員僅觀測到部分黑猩猩的手勢動作,，這是因為所觀察的黑猩猩處于動物園的囚禁狀態(tài),，人們并未觀看到它們全部的行為特征。人們很少會觀測到野生黑猩猩尋找同伴,，向雌性求愛,，或者與鄰近黑猩猩群體發(fā)生沖突。”
這支研究小組在黑猩猩聚集區(qū)觀察了很長時間,，因此它們了解到了黑猩猩個體之間的日常生活狀況,。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)黑猩猩彼此之間會點頭示意打招呼。
在一段視頻中,，一只雌性黑猩猩作手勢示意讓一只幼小的雌黑猩猩爬到它的背部,；此外，另一只幼小黑猩猩握著年輕黑猩猩的手,，示意讓它一起玩游戲,。
這項研究表明黑猩猩群體中普遍存在著用手勢作為溝通交流手段，不僅于此,，大猩猩和猩猩之間也使用這些手勢。目前,，這項研究發(fā)表在近期出版的《動物認知》雜志上,。
之前科學家曾證實黑猩猩以擁抱方式安慰弱小的黑猩猩，并在其面頰輕吻,，以緩解其壓力,。同時，他們還發(fā)現(xiàn)黑猩猩彼此之間發(fā)生沖突之后很少進行安慰,，摟抱之后也很少施加壓力,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原文出處：
Animal Cognition DOI: 10.1007/s10071-011-0409-2
The gestural repertoire of the wild chimpanzee
Catherine Hobaiter and Richard W. Byrne
Abstract
Great ape gestural communication is known to be intentional, elaborate and flexible; yet there is controversy over the best interpretation of the system and how gestures are acquired, perhaps because most studies have been made in restricted, captive settings. Here, we report the first systematic analysis of gesture in a population of wild chimpanzees. Over 266 days of observation, we recorded 4,397 cases of intentional gesture use in the Sonso community, Budongo, Uganda. We describe 66 distinct gesture types: this estimate appears close to asymptote, and the Sonso repertoire includes most gestures described informally at other sites. Differences in repertoire were noted between individuals and age classes, but in both cases, the measured repertoire size was predicted by the time subjects were observed gesturing. No idiosyncratic usages were found, i.e. no gesture type was used only by one individual. No support was found for the idea that gestures are acquired by ‘ontogenetic ritualization’ from originally effective actions; moreover, in detailed analyses of two gestures, action elements composing the gestures did not closely match those of the presumed original actions. Rather, chimpanzee gestures are species-typical; indeed, many are ‘family-typical’, because gesture types recorded in gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzee overlap extensively, with 24 gestures recorded in all three genera. Nevertheless, chimpanzee gestures are used flexibly across a range of contexts and show clear adjustment to audience (e.g. silent gestures for attentive targets, contact gestures for inattentive ones). Such highly intentional use of a species-typical repertoire raises intriguing questions for the evolution of advanced communication.
