Researchers have recorded young gorillas and other great apes making breathy vocalizations during tickling and playful contact. These sounds resemble laughter, although they do not sound exactly like adult human laughter.
The precise viral clip behind the original title could not be independently confirmed. However, controlled studies provide strong evidence that laughter-like play calls have deep evolutionary roots shared by humans and other great apes.
The Tickling Study
A major study analysed tickling-induced vocalizations from 21 infant and juvenile orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos. Researchers compared the acoustic structure of their calls with human laughter to investigate how the behaviour may have changed during primate evolution.
Familiar People Participated
The apes were tickled by familiar human caregivers rather than unfamiliar visitors. Familiarity reduced stress and allowed researchers to record vocalizations produced during normal playful interaction. The study was not an invitation for members of the public to touch or tickle captive gorillas.
A Breathier Sound
Gorilla laughter-like calls often sound like rhythmic panting rather than the clear “ha-ha” pattern familiar to humans. Great apes may vocalize while breathing both in and out, whereas human laughter is produced mainly during outward breaths.
A Signal During Play
Young apes produce these calls during tickling, chasing, wrestling, and other playful encounters. The vocalization can help signal that rough physical contact is friendly rather than aggressive. Human children use laughter in similar ways when play becomes energetic or unpredictable.
The Family Tree Matched
When researchers compared the acoustic differences among the species, the pattern closely matched their known evolutionary relationships. Human laughter was most similar to the calls of our closest ape relatives and more different from those of orangutans, whose lineage separated earlier.
A Shared Ancestor
The results suggest that laughter did not suddenly appear in modern humans. A laughter-like play vocalization probably existed in the common ancestor of humans and great apes millions of years ago. Human laughter later became more strongly controlled by breathing and social context.
New Evidence in 2026
Research published in 2026 examined the timing and rhythm of laughter-like calls across living great apes. The results indicated that regularly timed laughter was probably already present in their common ancestor, while human laughter became faster, more variable, and more dependent on context.
Contact Remains Controlled
Modern zoos generally work with gorillas through protected contact, keeping a secure barrier between animals and caregivers. Positive-reinforcement training allows a gorilla to cooperate voluntarily in health checks and leave when it chooses. Tickling research does not mean gorillas are safe to handle casually.
