The incredible story of " Rocky" , the talking orangutan

Rocky, an orangutan of 11 who lives in the Indianapolis Zoo , has a special ability : it can make sounds with their vocal cords or larynx that sound like the letter " A" or the phrase " Ah " .

A group of researchers at the zoo in which Rocky lives observed that the animal could mimic human sounds tone, something that had never happened before. The finding was published last Wednesday, the team of scientists, provides information about the evolutionary origin of the human voice.

While all these sounds are always variations of the same vowel, sometimes ape the broadcast in high tones and, on other occasions, at much lower tones.

"I really redefine what we know about the capabilities of the orangutans," said Rob Schumaker, director of the zoo and one of the authors of the report. "What we have to consider now is the possibility that the origins of speech are not exclusively human but may have come from the great apes," he added.

Rocky, who never lived in the jungle, learned this skill during his activity as entertainment orangutan movies and commercials, before getting to the zoo. According to experts, only it chirps and used daily. In fact, no other orangutan, wild or in captivity, has made this kind of noise.

To show the vocal abilities of the animal, the team filmed a "conversation" between Rocky and Madeleine Hardus a researcher working with the zoo. In the video you can see how she "Ah," he said in a determined tone and ape imitates the sound exactly to earn their food. And so it does almost 500 variations of sound.

"They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this video proves," said Marc Bekoff, an expert in behavioral ecology and professor emeritus at the University of Colorado, who was not involved in the study. And adds: "It is very clear how the orangutan mimics human vocalizations."