In 1978, the front page of the National Geographic magazine did not feature a person, but a very special animal.

It was the world's first look at the incredible creature known as Coco, a lowland gorilla who had been taught to communicate with humans.

But she wasn't just asking for bananas, what she had to say astounded scientists around the world.

So come with me and let's find out about how one ape helped us make some of the most important discoveries about animal behavior in human history. You're listening to be amazed.

Born in the San Francisco Zoo, on July 4th, 1971, Coco's full name was Hanabiko,

which is Japanese for Fireworks Child.

How patriotic and poetic.

She lived with her mother in the zoo's guerrilla troop until she was six months old, but she was diagnosed with an illness and had to be raised by a

human family in the zoo's nursery. As she began to recover, the young gorilla caught the eye of

then psychology student Francine Penny Patterson. Penny believed that Coco could be the perfect

primate for a revolutionary new study. She proposed that this young gorilla could be taught to speak to

humans using sign language. Six months later in July 1972, Coco was moved to Stanford University

and Project Coco took off.

The study was based on the findings of a female chimpanzee called Washoe, who was the first animal to acquire any kind of human language.

Washoe had been raised by humans since infancy, and as part of a study in 1969, she was taught American Sign Language or ASL.

But what was even more staggering was that she used these signs to communicate emotion.

Until this point, that was something many had believed to be a uniquely human trait.

And one incredible account from 1982, a volunteer called Cat Beach, who worked with

Washu, became pregnant. Washu would often ask about Cat's pregnancy by signing Baby and displayed

fascination with her growing belly. Sadly, Cat Miss carried. When she returned to see

Washu several weeks later, she told the chimpanzee the news by signing My Baby died, but when

Washoe responded, it left everyone amazed. She touched her cheek and drew a line down her face,

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