Researchers studying chimpanzees have translated their gestures.

Researchers studying chimpanzees have translated their gestures.

According to the scientists, wild chimps communicate 19 messages to each other with what they call a ‘lexicon’ of 66 gestures.

Dr. Catherine Hobaiter led the research team. She says this is the only known form of deliberate communication in the animal kingdom.

The only other beings who send intentional messages to one another are humans. Hobaiter commented “The big message is that there is another species out there that is meaningful in its communication, so that's not unique to humans. I don't think we're quite as set apart as we would perhaps like to think we are."

Chimps give visual clues to companions to inform them of what they want. For example, if a chimpanzee shows the sole of its foot to a fellow chimp, that means climb on my back. Or if one of the creatures nibbles on a leaf, that translates to flirt with me.

Another interesting gesture is when a chimp offers a certain body part to a companion, it is asking for a grooming in that area. The chimps stop motioning when they get what they want or use alternative gestures to convey the meaning.

The researchers documented their findings after studying 80 chimps in the Ugandan rainforest making 4,500 gestures.