# Chimpanzees blowing raspberries offer first evidence of learned vocal conventions in great ape communication

Source: [Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-chimpanzees-raspberries-evidence-vocal-conventions.html) · 2026-11-09 · Life
Page: https://themorning.science/story/chimpanzees-blowing-raspberries-offer-first-evidence-of-learned-vocal-convention-751988dde486c6cc
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In brief

- A study from the CNRS Institute of Cognitive Sciences, University of Warwick and the Taï Chimpanzee Project reports that chimpanzees may learn how to use some of their calls from adults around them.
- The findings are presented as the first evidence of learned vocal conventions in great ape communication.
- The researchers draw a parallel with how human children learn words.

## Why it matters

The result suggests that a form of socially learned vocal convention, previously associated mainly with human language, may exist in a great ape, which bears on how language-like communication evolved.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-09: Study reported by Biology News and phys.org

## Coverage

- [Chimpanzees blowing raspberries offer first evidence of learned vocal conventions in great ape communication](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-chimpanzees-raspberries-evidence-vocal-conventions.html) — Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology, 2026-11-09

Tags: chimpanzees, vocal communication, animal behaviour, language evolution, primates

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science