Bonobo Facts

Bonobo Fact Sheet

One of two Chimpanzee species is the Bonobo. They separated from the great apes about 70 million years ago. If you think they are closely related to the Common Chimpanzee you are right. They separated from them about 1 million years ago. All Chimpanzees are closely related to the DNA of humans.

Bonobo Anatomy

The Bonobo Chimpanzee does look very similar to the Common Chimpanzee. However, they are shorter by at least a foot and quite a bit lighter. They have arms that are very long. They spend more time in an upright position though than the Common Chimpanzee. Approximately 25% of their time is in that position.

They have the ability to swing in the trees and to walk on their knuckles too. With so much diversity with their movements it all comes down to their overall anatomy. While they may appear to be very different and unusual, keep in mind that their appearance is one that works well of their overall survival.

Bonobo Evolution

There is no denying the fact that we are very closely related to the Bonobo Chimpanzee. Scientific evidence is there for the taking even after Darwin make this connection early on for us. However, it is still very difficult to prove many things along that path. For example what is the missing ancestor between the humans and the Bonobo Chimpanzee?

There are very few fossil remains that have been found of any Chimpanzees. Some of the Bonobo though have been found in areas of Kenya where they no longer live. It is possible that they became extinct in that area or they simply had to move on in order to continue to survive.

Bonobo Behavior

While the Bonobo Chimpanzee can be aggressive in nature they aren’t to the extremes of the Common Chimpanzee. They seem to live in harmony more often than engaging in fighting. They have a looser type of social ladder where there is some format to it but it is very informal rather than rigid. It is believed that this accounts for why they are less likely to become aggressive to each other.

They do show outward signs of aggression though to humans and to other monkeys. It is seen as a symbol of triumph if they kill the young of other monkeys. They will often take them back to the troop and show them off as trophies. Then they will take part in eating them as a way to show that they have defeated the enemy.

Socializing is very important to the overall thriving of the Bonobo Chimpanzee. They form intricate groups with different levels of social interactions. This includes bonds that are genetic in nature, friendships based on hierarchy levels, and then those deep bonds with each other. As males get older it is very common for them to spend time with one other male quite often.

They are very playful with each other and so it can be fun to observe them messing around. They use various sounds to communicate with each other as well as gestures. If you study them you will also notice they use facial expressions just like humans do to express an array of different emotions.

Bonobo Habitat and Distribution

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the only place you will find these Chimpanzees living in the wild. This is a part of Africa and a place where they are able to live as long as humans leave that area alone. However, it seems that the forest here where they rest, sleep, and eat continues to be taken away from them at an alarming rate.

The region where they now live has been depleted by more than 70%  in the last couple of decades. As a result there are only approximately 10,000 of them that remain in the wild. This number is very low. Even with conservation efforts in place for their habitat is going to be a tremendous fight for them to get their numbers to increase. Still, we have to try so that they don’t become extinct.

Bonobo Diet and Feeding habits

There are several different types of foods that the Bonobo Chimpanzee consumes. They like to eat meat so they hunt small animals such as squirrels. They also consume insects and find termite mounds to be very filling. They will consume plants, leaves, and fruits that are available to them.

As they move around their home range they will be able to eat a variety of these foods. They seem to hunt early in the morning and then again in the late afternoon. They take their time eating and can spend many hours per day doing so. They have been known to consume other primates as I mentioned above.

Bonobo Reproduction

The mating process of the  Bonobo Chimpanzee occurs when they are about 10 years of age. However, mating is a social part of their environment so they may mimic such behaviors much earlier. They are known to engage in sexual behaviors openly with both sexes. It is a very interesting observation and not one that the Common Chimpanzee is seen taking part in.

When a female does become pregnant she will carry the young for about 200 days. She will almost always have only one but there are twins that can be documented as surviving. It is a full time job to properly care for a young Bonobo Chimpanzee. They are held by their mothers often as a way to bond with them. This socialization embeds the need for such social interactions for their entire life.

The mother dotes on her young and takes the time to teach it many different things. She won’t mate as long as she has a young one to care for. When it is about five years of age she may mate again. Even so she will continue to care for it.

Bonobo Predators

The Bonobo Chimpanzee doesn’t have too many predators to worry about. In the trees the biggest problem for them are snakes. They can be several feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds. They can overpower a Bonobo Chimpanzee very fast as their method of killing prey involves crushing them to death.

The leopard is one of the large cats with the best track record for hunting. They know how to survive in any given environment. They have an upper hand because they can move around quickly both on land and in the trees. They are able to sneak up on the Bonobo Chimpanzee in both of these locations.

Even so, the biggest problem comes from humans. The villagers in Congo have no qualms about eating the meat – called bushmeat. They also have no second thoughts about killing adults and selling the young for large profits. They will make money offering guided hunts too when people from around the world come to the area for the thrill of hunting such a rare animal.

In many areas of the Republic of Congo though the Bonobo Chimpanzee is seen as a nuisance. Many people see them as stopping their ability to move forward with growing crops, with being able to introduce mining, and even to make money through the idea of forestry. They think by destroying these animals they will be able to introduce those money making methods.