Should I stay or should I go? Initiation of joint travel in mother–infant dyads of two chimpanzee communities in the wild

Chimpanzee mothers and infants employ distinct signals to initiate joint travel, with infants shifting from vocal to gestural communication as they develop. A study comparing two wild chimpanzee communities revealed low concordance in maternal gestural production both within and between groups, suggesting that gestures arise from social negotiation rather than genetic or ritualized learning. Researchers recorded 442 actions, 599 intentional gestures, and 80 vocalizations over 156 days, proposing a new theory of gestural acquisition where signals are shaped through shared understanding in real-time interactions.

Fröhlich, M., Wittig, R. M., & Pika, S. (2016). Should I stay or should I go? Initiation of joint travel in mother–infant dyads of two chimpanzee communities in the wild. Animal Cognition, 19(3), 483–500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-015-0948-z