Bonobos

A quick follow-up to last week's trivia question about the four species of great apes - Gorilla, Orangutan, Chimpazee, and Bonobo... I'm sure many of you were wondering, as was I, just what the heck is a "Bonobo". Well, Steve Shuba, our resident seeker of knowledge did a little research. Here is his report...


From the WWF Website. No, the World Wildlife Fund.

While chimpanzee and human societies seem to be dominated by males, this appears less so for bonobos. Bonobo behavior is much less aggressive and violent than that of their cousins, perhaps because food is more easily obtained within the bonobos' rainforest habitat. Bonobos are "promiscuous" and copulate frequently. Sex plays a very important part in a bonobo's social life, and sexual contact - often between individuals of the same sex (homo bonobos) - is used to appease or bond with other group members. Female bonobos have been observed allowing a male to copulate with them in order to share his food. We call it a date. Besides sexual displays, bonobos also use a wide range of facial expressions, whistles, hoots, and grunts to communicate with each other, much like construction workers.

The above statement may not be construed as the opinions of the WWF or any other organization.

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-- Steve Shuba