Gibbon Dance: Female Primates ‘Vogue’ and Perform for an Audience
Female gibbons have been observed performing rhythmic robotic dances, attracting attention or expressing frustration, according to researchers. These primates even check over their shoulders while dancing to ensure someone is watching. The study, published on the preprint server BioRxiv, analyzed dance-like behaviors in four species of gibbons, both in captivity and in the wild.
Dance-like behaviors are not uncommon in the animal kingdom, seen in birds, bees, and other species. However, the presence of dance in non-human primates is rare, making the findings on gibbons particularly exciting. Pritty Patel-Grosz, a linguistics professor at the University of Oslo and co-author of the study, highlighted that it is unusual for female gibbons, rather than males, to engage in dancing.
While great apes like bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans have not shown convincing evidence of dance-like behaviors, crested gibbons, a type of lesser ape, have displayed dance-like movements in previous research. The researchers defined dance based on three criteria: intentional movements, rhythmic patterns, and non-random structure. The gibbons exhibited intentional actions, rhythmic sequences, and structured movements in their dances.
The researchers noted that the gibbons’ dance, described as a ‘robot dance,’ resembles vogueing, a type of dance characterized by striking poses and fluid movements. Female gibbons were observed dancing for various reasons, including attention-seeking, social interactions, grooming solicitation, and anticipation of feeding or social engagement with humans. In the wild, dancing was primarily linked to mating behaviors with male gibbons.
Interestingly, the structured, rhythmic, and intentional nature of the gibbons’ dance shares similarities with human dance. However, due to the evolutionary distance between humans and gibbons, dating back over 20 million years, it remains unclear whether there is a direct connection between the two. The researchers are intrigued by the evolutionary origins of dance in different primate species and its absence in our closer great ape relatives.
Olivia Ferrari, a freelance journalist specializing in wildlife, environmental justice, and social science, emphasizes the importance of understanding and appreciating the unique behaviors exhibited by primates like gibbons. Through research and observation, scientists continue to unravel the mysteries of animal behavior and evolution, shedding light on the diversity and complexity of life on Earth.
