0:00:07.961,0:00:10.711 Living with her family high above the ground 0:00:10.711,0:00:13.720 in the northern tropical forests of Colombia, 0:00:13.720,0:00:15.800 you will find Shakira, 0:00:15.800,0:00:19.557 a cotton-top tamarin with a penchant for conversation. 0:00:19.557,0:00:22.159 Say, "Hola!" 0:00:22.159,0:00:23.732 Though you may not realize it, 0:00:23.732,0:00:25.546 this one pound monkey communicates 0:00:25.546,0:00:27.821 in a highly sophisticated language 0:00:27.821,0:00:30.379 of 38 distinct calls 0:00:30.379,0:00:35.676 based on variations of chirps and whistles. 0:00:35.676,0:00:37.133 The response she just gave is 0:00:37.133,0:00:38.649 known as a "B chirp", 0:00:38.649,0:00:41.422 a call often directed at humans. 0:00:41.422,0:00:44.356 To appreciate the complexities of Shakira's language, 0:00:44.356,0:00:47.062 let's learn a few chirps and whistles, 0:00:47.062,0:00:49.107 then examine how their combinations 0:00:49.107,0:00:52.400 form grammatically structured sequences. 0:00:52.400,0:00:54.651 The chirp Shakira used to greet us 0:00:54.651,0:00:56.708 comes from a class of calls known as 0:00:56.708,0:01:00.067 single frequency modulated syllables. 0:01:00.067,0:01:04.057 This class is made up of short duration calls, or chirps, 0:01:04.057,0:01:11.097 and long duration calls, like screams and squeals. 0:01:11.097,0:01:13.457 Researchers have determined that there are eight 0:01:13.457,0:01:15.809 different types of chirps categorized by 0:01:15.809,0:01:22.116 stem upsweep, duration, peak frequency, and frequency change. 0:01:22.116,0:01:25.868 In addition, each chirp has its own unique meaning. 0:01:25.868,0:01:30.467 For example, Shakira's "C chirp" is used 0:01:30.467,0:01:32.352 when she is approaching food, 0:01:32.352,0:01:36.770 where as her "D chirp" is only used 0:01:36.770,0:01:39.251 when she has the food in hand. 0:01:39.251,0:01:43.297 Single whistles also exhibit a unique intention with each call 0:01:43.297,0:01:45.475 and just as there are eight different chirps, 0:01:45.475,0:01:47.656 there are five different whistles. 0:01:47.656,0:01:49.328 Based on frequency modulation, 0:01:49.328,0:01:53.162 single whistles are subdivided into four categories: 0:01:53.162,0:01:59.616 squeaks, initially modulated whistles, 0:01:59.616,0:02:05.718 terminally modulated whistles, and flat whistles. 0:02:05.718,0:02:07.736 The language's quality of unique intention 0:02:07.736,0:02:09.713 is wonderfully exemplified by the category 0:02:09.713,0:02:12.463 of initially modulated whistles. 0:02:12.463,0:02:14.695 These whistles change based on the proximity 0:02:14.695,0:02:17.954 of Shakira to other members of her family. 0:02:17.954,0:02:21.018 If Shakira is greater than .6 meters from her family, 0:02:21.018,0:02:25.768 she'll sound a large initally modulated whistle. 0:02:25.768,0:02:28.573 But if she's less than .6 meters from her family, 0:02:28.573,0:02:33.071 she'll sound a small initially modulated whistle. 0:02:33.071,0:02:35.069 Now that we've learned a few chirps and whistles, 0:02:35.069,0:02:37.309 Shakira wants to show off by taking you 0:02:37.309,0:02:40.804 through a quick day in her life with these calls. 0:02:40.804,0:02:44.076 While heading towards a feeding tree for her first meal of the day, 0:02:44.076,0:02:46.611 she says, (monkey noise), 0:02:46.611,0:02:50.583 a call most often used in relaxed investigations. 0:02:50.583,0:02:54.499 However, suddenly she spots the shadow of a hawk. 0:02:54.499,0:02:57.039 "E chirp" for alarm. 0:02:57.039,0:03:00.362 This call alerts her family to the presence of this predator, 0:03:00.362,0:03:03.531 and Shakira jumps to the safety of an inner branch. 0:03:03.531,0:03:05.141 The coast seems clear, 0:03:05.141,0:03:07.751 so Shakira makes her way towards her dad. 0:03:07.751,0:03:09.429 Wait, wait. Who is that? 0:03:09.429,0:03:12.130 Ah, it's her younger brother, Carlos. 0:03:12.130,0:03:15.452 Cotton-top tamarins often squeal during play wrestling. 0:03:15.452,0:03:21.243 Uh-oh. He's playing a little too roughly, and Shakira screams, 0:03:21.243,0:03:23.478 alerting her parents to help her. 0:03:23.478,0:03:26.396 Her dad makes his way towards the ball of rolling fur 0:03:26.396,0:03:28.036 and her brother stops. 0:03:28.036,0:03:29.219 Shakira shakes herself 0:03:29.219,0:03:31.210 and scratches herself to get the hair on her head 0:03:31.210,0:03:33.055 back in place. 0:03:33.055,0:03:36.714 Then Shakira spots another group of unfamiliar tamarins 0:03:36.714,0:03:39.205 and hears their normal long call. 0:03:39.205,0:03:42.981 She turns to her family. (Monkey noise) 0:03:42.981,0:03:47.079 Did you catch that? First there was a chirp, then a whistle. 0:03:47.079,0:03:50.074 This is what's known as a combination vocalization, 0:03:50.074,0:03:53.758 a phrase that contains both a chirp and a whistle. 0:03:53.758,0:03:57.739 These are two calls strung together to convey a message. 0:03:57.739,0:03:59.922 The combination of these two elements 0:03:59.922,0:04:02.455 alerts her family to the presence of another group, 0:04:02.455,0:04:05.964 the "F chirp", and the distance they are away, 0:04:05.964,0:04:07.826 the normal long call whistle. 0:04:07.826,0:04:11.073 In other words, Shakira just said a sentence. 0:04:11.073,0:04:14.280 Her simple demonstration is just the tip of the iceberg. 0:04:14.280,0:04:18.715 She's got trills, chatters, multiple whistle calls, 0:04:18.715,0:04:23.390 more combination vocalizations, even twitters. 0:04:23.390,0:04:26.060 Yet sadly enough, we may not get to hear 0:04:26.060,0:04:28.324 everything she has to say. 0:04:28.324,0:04:31.289 Mixed in with chirping sonatas from high above 0:04:31.289,0:04:35.056 is the constant thud of a machete chopping trees. 0:04:35.056,0:04:37.855 Shakira's habitat in Colombia is being cut down, 0:04:37.855,0:04:39.466 piece by piece, 0:04:39.466,0:04:40.814 and if we don't work to protect 0:04:40.814,0:04:43.331 the critically endangered cotton-top tamarin, 0:04:43.331,0:04:46.089 it will become extinct in our lifetime. 0:04:46.089,0:04:48.099 If the chirp from one tamarin to the next 0:04:48.099,0:04:51.030 has proven to be more than just idle chit chat, 0:04:51.030,0:04:53.793 imagine what else we have left to discover. 0:04:53.793,0:04:56.294 Imagine what else Shakira can tell us.