Wednesday, June 23, 2004
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10:26 a.m.
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Chimpanzees, apes, orangutans, and a few other primates laugh—but no other animals do. Chimps’ laughter sounds like rapid panting, but unlike humans, chimps can’t regulate the air as they breathe out, which means they can’t change the way it sounds. This lack of ability to control airflow is the same thing that deprives them of speech.
But just because primates can’t talk doesn’t mean they can’t share jokes. Chimps and gorillas that have learned sign language have been known to sign one another for laughs. Sometimes they give incorrect signs in “conversation” and then laugh; other times they urinate on humans and then sign “funny.”
But just because primates can’t talk doesn’t mean they can’t share jokes. Chimps and gorillas that have learned sign language have been known to sign one another for laughs. Sometimes they give incorrect signs in “conversation” and then laugh; other times they urinate on humans and then sign “funny.”
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Parallel
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