Bonnie (born 1976, in Rio Grande Zoo) is a hybrid female Sumatran/Bornean orangutan living at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., since 1980.[1]
| Species | Orangutan |
|---|---|
| Breed | Hybrid Bornean/Sumatran |
| Sex | Female |
| Born | 1976 (age 47–48) |
| Known for | Whistling |
| Residence | National Zoo in Washington, D.C. |
She began spontaneously whistling, mimicking an animal caretaker making the sound. This is significant as whistling is a sound that is in a human's—but not an orangutan's—repertoire. While some "lower primates" have been shown to make non-standard sounds for their species, it has always been the result of intense training, whereas Bonnie picked up the new sound mechanism through imitation. Furthermore, she seems to whistle just because she likes the sound, as opposed to producing this behavior in response to a potential food reward. Bonnie's whistling was documented in the journal Primates by Dr. Serge Wich et al.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Orangutan". Smithsonian's National Zoo. 2016-06-06. Retrieved 2016-11-05.
- ^ Wich, S. A.; Swartz, K. B.; Hardus, M. E.; Lameira, A. R.; Stromberg, E.; Shumaker, R. W. (2008). "A case of spontaneous acquisition of a human sound by an orangutan". Primates. 50 (1): 56–64. doi:10.1007/s10329-008-0117-y. PMID 19052691. S2CID 708682.