The Song of the Ape: Understanding the Language of Chimpanzees

While working as a zookeeper at a drive-through animal park in south Florida, Halloran witnessed the escape of a group of chimpanzees who capitalized on an unsecured boat to flee from their island habitat and an upstart group of rival chimps. To react so quickly and uniformly, the group, Halloran surmises, must have been communicating in a complex manner that allowed them to plan and orchestrate such an escape. To examine this idea further, Halloran, currently a primatologist for the Maderas Rainforest Conservancy in Nicaragua, embarks on an in-depth study of five of the chimps involved, delving into their histories, their calls, and the meaning of their calls. The result is an engrossing account of communication development among these intelligent animals, presented with genuine affection for them as individuals, and showing how they communicate with each other on their own terms and how numerous factors cause dialects to emerge. With its intriguing mix of personalities and examination of complex primate social relationships, this book will captivate and, most importantly, provide valuable insight into these kindred creatures. Agent: Jesseca Salky, Hannigan Salky Getzler Agency. (Mar.)