Bonobo Monkeys Shake Heads to Say ‘NO,’ Insist Sientists

Bonobos monkeys have been filmed appearing to 'say no' by shaking their heads, says a study published in the journal Primates.

On a number of occasions, bonobos were filmed using side to side head movements to prevent others from doing something they did not want them to do. In one film a mother is seen shaking her head to stop her infant playing with its food.

This may reflect an early precursor to head-shaking behaviour amongst humans in one of our closest relatives.

"In bonobos, our observations are the first reported use of preventive head-shaking," said Christel Schneider from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.

Schneider recalls how the videos captured at Leipzig Zoo in Germany show a bonobo mother shaking her head in disapproval when her infant plays with some food.

"Ulindi, tried to stop her infant, Luiza, from playing with a piece of leek. Since Luiza took no notice despite repeated attempts to stop her, Ulindi finally shakes her head towards the infant," she says.

Ulindi eventually throws the leek away whilst the infant still tries to reach for it, the researchers report.