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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Author Spotlight: Deciphering the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Gesture in Communication
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Iconic gesturing in bonobos.

Emilie Genty1, Klaus Zuberbühler2

  • 1Department of Comparative Cognition; Institute of Biology; University of Neuchâtel ; Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

Communicative & Integrative Biology
|February 5, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Bonobos exhibit a human-like beckoning gesture for sexual solicitation, demonstrating deixis and iconicity. This rare referential signal suggests primates may lack motivation to share experiences, limiting complex communication.

Keywords:
bonoboscommunicationiconic gestureslanguagereferentiality

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Area of Science:

  • Primate communication
  • Animal behavior
  • Primatology

Background:

  • Great apes possess communicative abilities, yet referential gestures are uncommon in their natural interactions.
  • A recent study identified a human-like beckoning gesture in bonobos, used with sexual solicitation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the bonobo beckoning gesture's communicative properties, specifically deixis and iconicity.
  • To explore reasons for the rarity of referential gestures in non-human primate communication.

Main Methods:

  • Observational study of bonobo behavior.
  • Analysis of gestural communication in relation to social context and intention.

Main Results:

  • Bonobos use a beckoning gesture, fulfilling criteria for deixis (indicating direction) and iconicity (visual resemblance).
  • This gesture communicates a desired travel path for a specific social intention (sexual solicitation).

Conclusions:

  • The bonobo beckoning gesture represents a significant, albeit rare, instance of referential signaling in non-human primates.
  • A potential explanation for the underuse of referential gestures is a reduced motivation in non-human primates to share experiences with others.