What's happening?

When was the last time you spoke to an animal?

It sounds like a strange question. But humans talk to animals more than you would think. People tell kittens they are cute and ask their dogs to fetch and catch.

Scientists have spent years studying apes. They have found something that apes different movements to show what they are thinking.

Find out more

A chimpanzee makes a long scratch on its chest to ask for its hair to be stroked and cleaned.

Scientists asked people to guess what the different signs meant. More than half of the time, the humans guessed right. So we can understand apes - and one day we might be able to speak to them.

Yes! The first steps to chatting to animals are already happening. If we can talk to apes, then we can talk to jellyfish and birds and cats.

No! We might be able to understand chimps - but we are a long way from really talking to them. This is just a dream. It is not a reality.