Two groups of chimps who merged at Edinburgh Zoo started grunting like each other within three years, scientists found.
Most people will find that their accents change subtly if they spend enough time in a different area or country.
But it seems the same is true of chimpanzees.
Scientists have discovered that when groups of chimps merge, they alter their accents until they are all grunting in the same manner.
The ability to modify vocalisations to fit in with social groups was believed to be a purely human trait until now.
"Our study shows that chimpanzee referential food calls are not fixed in their structure and that, when exposed to a new social group, chimpanzees can change their calls to sound more like their group mates," says Katie Slocombe of the University of York.
Chimpanzees have special grunts for particular types of foods, and their fellow chimps know exactly what those calls mean.
Scientists looked at how the grunt for 'apple' changed over a three year period when a groups of chimps merged at Edinburgh Zoo.
They found that the high-pitched calls of one group converged wiht the low-pitch noise of the other group as they got to know each other better, until it was identical.
"We think it's quite easy to hear how the two groups called in different ways for apples in 2010, and how by 2013 the Dutch individuals changed their grunts to sound more like Edinburgh individuals," says Stuart Watson, also from the University of York.
Given the relatively short evolutionary distance between humans and chimpanzees -- five to seven million years--scientists say it suggests that our most recent common ancestor with chimpanzees also shared an important "building block" of language.
"It would be really exciting to try and find out why chimpanzees are motivated to sound more similar to their group mates," adds Simon Townsend of the University of Zurich, who was also involved in the study.
"Is it so that they can be better understood? Or is it just to sound more similar to their friends?"
Most people will find that their accents change subtly if they spend enough time in a different area or country.
But it seems the same is true of chimpanzees.
Scientists have discovered that when groups of chimps merge, they alter their accents until they are all grunting in the same manner.
The ability to modify vocalisations to fit in with social groups was believed to be a purely human trait until now.
"Our study shows that chimpanzee referential food calls are not fixed in their structure and that, when exposed to a new social group, chimpanzees can change their calls to sound more like their group mates," says Katie Slocombe of the University of York.
Chimpanzees have special grunts for particular types of foods, and their fellow chimps know exactly what those calls mean.
Scientists looked at how the grunt for 'apple' changed over a three year period when a groups of chimps merged at Edinburgh Zoo.
They found that the high-pitched calls of one group converged wiht the low-pitch noise of the other group as they got to know each other better, until it was identical.
"We think it's quite easy to hear how the two groups called in different ways for apples in 2010, and how by 2013 the Dutch individuals changed their grunts to sound more like Edinburgh individuals," says Stuart Watson, also from the University of York.
Given the relatively short evolutionary distance between humans and chimpanzees -- five to seven million years--scientists say it suggests that our most recent common ancestor with chimpanzees also shared an important "building block" of language.
"It would be really exciting to try and find out why chimpanzees are motivated to sound more similar to their group mates," adds Simon Townsend of the University of Zurich, who was also involved in the study.
"Is it so that they can be better understood? Or is it just to sound more similar to their friends?"
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