Do you sometimes face difficulties understanding people from other regions? Or do you feel cringe when you hear a group of youngsters calling each other “bro” every other sentence? Then you better don’t become an animal communication scientist. Because more and more studies are discovering the regional and slang varieties animals use in their communication. From goats to birds and even tamarins, dialects are widespread in the animal kingdom. A recent study explains the case for orangutans using slang to impress.
![](https://animalbehaviourfacts.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/orangutans-using-slang-to-impress-animal-behaviour-facts.jpg?w=683)
A major finding of the study is that the social environment of the orangutans determines the way they use communication, like for us as humans. Where there is a lower density of apes in a group, new “slang words” will be more easily adopted by the rest of the group and live longer, with these groups also having more complex repertoires. In groups with a much higher density one has to stand out more to impress, so the individuals will launch more slang words and be more original, but the dialect won’t persist as long.
The conclusions of this study are another interesting piece of information as to evolution of languages, especially in relation to how our human language evolved. Yet another reason to conserve the orangutans and other wildlife.