10 Weirdly Human Animal Behaviours
3. Orangutans Make Musical Instruments
There are many species of primate that use tools, but orangutans in the wild have taken this one step further and developed what could be the first non-human musical instrument.
Orangutans in Borneo have been observed to fashion crude whistles. These whistles make a similar sound to the "kiss squeak" noises that orangutans are known to make when they are threatened or frightened.
Scientists weren't sure why the orangutans were using whistles to make a noise that they can already make (although, then again, humans have made whistles despite this), but further analysis has shown that the instruments modulate the kiss squeak sound to make it much lower. This makes it sound as though the orangutan making the noise is much bigger.
That's not all though, as orangutans with the skills to make their whistles will pass on their knowledge to other orangutans, demonstrating the transmission of knowledge that is essential in the formation of culture - something that we used to think only humans had.