Orangutans use slang like schoolchildren

And other stories from the stranger side of life

An orangutan

Small gangs of apes use slang terms, a new study has found. Dozens of orangutans in Borneo and Sumatra were studied by researchers from the University of Warwick. Scientists identified original calls in “high density” groups, The Telegraph reported, with individuals using novel sounds that are rapidly picked up. However, these calls are just as quickly discarded. The researchers compared the phenomena to school children “going through fads” where certain phrases “suddenly become popular before just as quickly becoming grossly uncool”, said the paper.

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