A lot of people have never heard of bonobos, which I think is very sad! They're very unique apes, they live in groups where the female is in charge and male status is dependent on the ranking of his mother, and they've never been known to kill one another. Their closest relative, chimpanzees, are vastly different and live in male dominated groups and are known to kill and sometimes even eat one another. If anybody knows what a bonobo is, they probably know that they "make love, not war" and not much else. That isn't /completely/ true, there is still violence in the bonobo world, but they are much more peaceful overall than chimpanzees are. Also, chimpanzees are known for pant hooting and screaming, but bonobos yeep (kindof like a squeaker toy) and its adorable.
(^ a young male and a child)
They do look very similar to chimpanzees, but they're different even on a skeletal level. The easiest ways to tell them from chimpanzees by looking at them are:
-They're more slightly built and have "cuter" faces
-Their faces are dark, but their lips are always pink, and sometimes the area around the mouth is tan
-Their hair parts down the middle and always looks fabulous
-They usually have fluffier faces and more hair than chimpanzees
-They're equally comfortable on all fours or on two legs, whereas chimpanzees are more comfortable on all fours and less on two legs
-The females rear ends are more swollen in appearance in bonobos than chimpanzees, who only swell when they're in estrus
(^ Skeletal reconstructions of a chimpanzee and a bonobo walking upright to show differences)
(^ Physical differences between chimpanzee and bonobo)
One last fun fact, Koba from the recent Planet of the Apes reboots was a bonobo~
(Bonobos are classified under the genus
Pan along with common chimpanzees and were formally called pygmy chimpanzees)
@
Quadruped It makes me so happy to see primates getting some love! ;u; Thankyou for spreading the word of our monkey friends!
