Bonobo

Bonobo

 

Bonobo Facts

Bonobo – Pan paniscus

Bonobo Chimpanzee Description 

The Bonobo Chimpanzee looks a great deal like the other species which is the Common Chimpanzee. However, they are smaller in size both in regards to height and weight. They are closely related to humans with more than 90% of the sameDNA. They have hair that covers most of the body and a face that includes a long jaw and sharp incisors at the front. They have lips that are large and many people find that to be a well known characteristic of this great ape.

Bonobo Chimpanzee Anatomy 

The average size of the Bonobo Chimpanzee is four feet tall and about 100 pounds. They usually are seen walking on their knuckles. The fact that they have longer arms than legs make this position one that they can easily do. If you ever decide to try it you will find the anatomy of a human makes it uncomfortable on the spine.

They also have an amazing range of motion in the upper body. This is accountable for their ability to move freely through the trees as they swing with their arms. Their body is one that is created for them to ultimately survive the changes that have gone on around them for millions of years. They can stand upright but normally do so only a fraction of the time.

Bonobo Chimpanzee Evolution 

We gave found a very limited number of fossils out there of the Bonobo Chimpanzee. What it has told us is that they used to live in Kenya rather than always in Africa. What occurred that allowed some of them to continue thriving in other locations? That answer could be partially the result of the evolution process.

The Chimpanzee has the closest overall DNA profile to us of any animals in the world. Therefore we need to find out what other animals along that same element used to be around but are now extinct. The puzzle is one that many experts continue to try to focus on as they believe the evolution process is what will help them to find those answers.

Bonobo Chimpanzee Behavior

Plenty has been observed when it comes to the behavior of the Bonobo Chimpanzee. They are remarkable animals with a great sense of individualism. At the same time though they are social creatures and they thrive off the interactions they have with each other. They have a social structure but not to the extremes of the Common Chimpanzees.

They do form sub groups within their troop. This is why sometimes the bonds between two of them are very strong. Other times though they are merely acquaintances. They do show feelings of hatred and ignore certain members of the troop which is very interesting. They can be aggressive to each other but often that aggressive is reserved for other monkeys or when they come into contact with humans.

One of the ways that they show dominance over other monkeys is by killing the young. They will take them back to their troop too which helps them to have food. It also increases the social ranking of those that are involved in such successful kills.

Ironically, these are the same Bonobo Chimpanzees out there engaging in loving and caring communications with each other. There is plenty of fun going on including wrestling, teasing, and chasing. It is fun to see these animals taking part in such behaviors.

Bonobos: Language Recognition

Bonobo Chimpanzee Habitat and Distribution 

The Bonobo Chimpanzees live in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They don’t share any areas of habitat with the Gorillas as the Common Chimpanzee does. They do overlap with various other monkeys though including the Baboon.

The scary thing is that only 30% of the territory that these Chimpanzees had 20 years ago remains. The rest has been taken over by humans and large numbers of the Bonobo Chimpanzee have died as a result. Today the estimated number in the wild is around 10,000.

Bonobo Chimpanzee Diet and Feeding habits 

They have a large home range and they memorize where to go for food at given times of the year. They love the fruits that grow but also know they are only offered for short periods of time in various locations.

They consume plants and leaves from trees when they can’t find fruit. They also hunt for small animals including the very popular flying squirrel. It is easy enough for them to get these squirrels in the trees where they spend large segments of time.

Hunting for food is something they do as the sun comes up in the morning. They will spend a few hours foraging for food and moving along. Then they stop to rest for several hours and make nests. In the later part of the afternoon they will again look for food before they find a place to nest for the night.

Bonobo Chimpanzee Reproduction 

Mating is very different with the Bonobo Chimpanzees. First, they will engage in sexual behavior even before their bodies are mature enough to create offspring. They often do so as a way to socialize with each other. There are reports of same sex encounters too and they are believed to be ways to show affection within the troop. These animals are also the only known in the world to take part in face to face intercourse as humans do.

After a female does get pregnant she will carry the baby around in her body for around 200 days. Then she will wait for the young to come out and feed it from her breasts. She will hold the baby just like a human does which is very interesting. They nest with their young very close to them and forge a bond that is strong and remains strong well into adulthood.

Bonobo Chimpanzee Predators 

In the wild there really are only two natural predators of the Bonobo Chimpanzee. They are snakes and leopards –both powerful aggressors that these animals have very little defense against. The snakes are found in the trees and they are able to crush the Chimpanzees before they swallow them.

The leopards can be found in the trees and they are also on the ground. They typically hunt at night though and find the Bonobo Chimpanzee resting in its nest. They have sharp teeth and a powerful grip with the jaw so it only takes a bit of time for them to kill and run off with their prey.

Yet all of this is a very little threat when you evaluate what humans do. They are the main reason why they Bonobo Chimpanzee is considered to be endangered. They are the reason why these animals many not have a future. In the villages around Congo bushmeat is very popular for their survival.

Yet these villagers have also found ways to make money. By offering to lead hunts of people that come to the area for an exotic kill they can feed their families. By selling the young Bonobo Chimpanzees they can make money that they didn’t have access to before.  The destruction of the habitat where these animals used to thrive continues to be a threat from humans.

They want to use this land to plant food and to take part in mining operations. They also continue to cut down the forest areas. The wood can be sold for large amounts of money. They also want the land to make their own homes in so that leaves little space for the Bonobo Chimpanzees.