Kanzi

For the apple, see Kanzi (apple).
For Japanese Chinese characters, see Kanji.
Kanzi
Kanzi in 2005 after a shower
SpeciesBonobo (Pan paniscus)
SexMale
Born (1980-10-28) October 28, 1980 (age 44)
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Known forIntelligent use of lexigram
Notes
Panbanisha (sister)
Nyota (nephew)
Kanzi converses with Sue Savage-Rumbaugh in 2006 using a portable "keyboard" of arbitrary symbols that Kanzi associates with words.
Kanzi has learned hundreds of arbitrary symbols representing words, objects, and familiar people (including the generic "Visitor").
Sue Savage-Rumbaugh (L), Kanzi (R), and his sister Panbanisha (C) working at the portable "keyboard"
Although Kanzi can sometimes mimic human speech, this shows him during a species-standard vocalization.

Kanzi (born October 28, 1980), also known by the lexigram (from the character 太), is a male bonobo who has been the subject of several studies on great ape language. According to Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, a primatologist who has studied the bonobo throughout her life, Kanzi has exhibited advanced linguistic aptitude.[1][2][3]

  1. ^ Kluger, Jeffrey (August 5, 2010). "Inside the Minds of Animals". Time. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  2. ^ Savage-Rumbaugh, S. & Lewin, R. (1994). Kanzi: The Ape at the Brink of the Human Mind. New York: Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-58591-6.
  3. ^ Mitani, J. (1995). "Kanzi: The Ape at the Brink of the Human Mind". Scientific American. 272 (6). ISSN 0036-8733.