Bonobo

Pan paniscus

Very Easy (Promiscuous)

The **Bonobo** (*Pan paniscus*) is a mid-sized African primate featured in the Standard Edition of *Planet Zoo*.

## Zoopedia Description

### General

**Population in the Wild:** 29,500-50,000

Bonobos (or *Pan paniscus*) live in the forests and wetlands of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and are most closely related to the common chimpanzee (or Pan troglodytes). Out of any species in nature, these two types of ape have the most DNA in common with humans.

Bonobos have pink lips and dark, forward-facing eyes, small ears, a flat nose with wide nostrils, as well as black hair. Male bonobos are larger than females - averaging 73 to 83cm tall and weighing 39kg - whereas a female stands 70 to 76cm tall and weighs 31kg.

They are very playful and peaceful creatures, are rarely aggressive towards each other, and have never been known to kill each other. They live in a matriarchal society where females dominate, and the status of males is dictated by the status of their mother

Bonobos are endangered due to habitat loss and being poached for bushmeat. Various conservation efforts are being made to preserve the animals and their habitats - the UN and WWF, among others, are monitoring and protecting bonobos, especially within areas that have been designated as National Parks. These organisations are also educating locals on the apes and providing them with jobs in national parks, encouraging long-term respect for their environment and reducing dependence on the bushmeat trade.

### Social

Bonobos are extremely social, peaceful animals with strong bonds with each other, always living in close-knit groups. They help each other to forage, sharing food evenly among the group, and also help each other raise their young. Bonobos are very tactile creatures and will be extremely physically affectionate towards each other. As a result, they are often described as the "hippies' of the animal world and can definitely be characterised by the phrase 'make love, not war'.

### Reproduction

Bonobos are promiscuous animals, so much so that all mature members of the group will mate with each other regardless of their age or sex. This means it is usually unknown which males fathered which offspring. This is thought to be why bonobo males are gentle towards babies, and also how their communal style of living has evolved. A Bonobo mother will be pregnant for 8 months and give birth to 1 baby, which she will care for closely until the baby is around four years old. The males stay with their mother's group throughout adulthood, whereas bonobo females will leave in search of an unrelated group.

## Animal Care

 FEEDING STATIONS
 FOOD ENRICHMENT
Block of Frozen Fruit · Tool Puzzle Feeder · Forage Box Enrichment · Termite Mound · Small Fixed Roller Feeder · Suspended Forager · Tree Forager
Sprinkler · Grab Ball · Ice Block · Cardboard Box · Bobbin · Mirror Mobile · Musical Keyboard · Gift Box · Bobbin Drum

## Trivia

### Zoopedia Fun Facts

* Bonobos use tools such as stones as hammers and have been known to fashion sticks into spears using their teeth.
* Bonobos have very high empathy, and will help 'stranger' bonobos even when there is no reward for themselves.
* Bonobos communicate through many expressions, gestures, and vocalisations and are the most vocal of the great apes (excluding humans).
* Bonobos are very uncomfortable with conflict, and competing for food or mates is likely to be solved be sharing rather than fighting.
* Bonobos are very physically affectionate to their counterparts, and are the only species other than humans that 'tongue kiss'.

## Gallery

Pre-Zoopedia ProfileBonobo LoveContemplation