Baboons can learn to recognize words

@article{Haghighat2012BaboonsCL,
  title={Baboons can learn to recognize words},
  author={Leila Haghighat},
  journal={Nature},
  year={2012}
}
Monkeys' ability suggests that reading taps into general systems of pattern recognition. 
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References

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TLDR
The high correlation between the BLP and ELP data indicates that a high percentage of variance in lexical decision data sets is systematic variance, rather than noise, and that the results of megastudies are rather robust with respect to the selection and presentation of the stimuli.
Reading in the Brain: The Science and Evolution of a Human Invention
Orthographic Processing in Baboons (Papio papio)
TLDR
The results demonstrate that basic orthographic processing skills can be acquired in the absence of preexisting linguistic representations and trained baboons to discriminate English words from nonsense combinations of letters that resembled real words.