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What sounds do chimpanzees make to communicate?

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A common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) sits on a rock holding a long blade of grass in its mouth, with dense green foliage in the background. — chimpanzee The West African, or masked, chimpanzee (*Pan troglodytes verus*) is a critically endangered subspecies of chimpanzee.

Chimpanzees communicate in the wild using a diverse array of vocalizations, which include screams, hoots, grunts, and roars.1

These sounds serve different purposes based on the distance of the intended recipient:
* Long-distance communication: Chimpanzees utilize louder calls, often accompanied by physical actions such as drumming on tree buttresses.1
* Short-distance communication: They rely on quieter calls, which are frequently used in conjunction with facial expressions and gestures.1

Additionally, chimpanzees exhibit a behavior known as "play panting," which bears similarities to human laughter. While they are highly intelligent and have been taught to use sign language or symbolic tokens by researchers, the extent to which these represent true language remains a subject of scientific debate.1