Bonobo

Description

The bonobo is an endangered great ape. It is one of the two species making up the genus Pan, the other being the common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). While bonobos (formerly known as the pygmy chimpanzee) are now recognized as a distinct species in their own right, they were initially thought to be a subspecies of chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) due to the physical similarities between the two species. Taxonomically, the members of the chimpanzee/bonobo subtribe Panina (composed entirely by the genus Pan) are collectively termed panins. The bonobo is distinguished by relatively long legs, pink lips, dark face, tail-tuft through adulthood, and parted long hair on its head. The bonobo is found in a 500,000 km2 area of the Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa. The species is frugivorous and inhabits primary and secondary forests, including seasonally inundated swamp forests. Because of political instability in the region and the timidity of bonobos, there has been relatively little field work done observing the species in its natural habitat. Along with the common chimpanzee, the bonobo is the closest extant relative to humans. As the two species are not proficient swimmers, the formation of the Congo River 1.5-2 million years ago possibly led to the speciation of the bonobo. The bonobo is commonly considered to be more gracile than the common chimpanzee. Although large male chimpanzees can exceed any bonobo in bulk and weight, the two species broadly overlap in body size. Adult female bonobos are somewhat smaller than adult males. Body mass ranges from 34 to 60 kg with an average weight of 45 kilograms in males against an average of 33 kg in females. The total length of bonobos (from the nose to the rump while on all fours) is 70 to 83 cm. Male bonobos average 119 cm when standing upright, compared to 111 centimetres in females. The bonobo's head is relatively smaller than that of the common chimpanzee with less prominent brow ridges above the eyes. It has a black face with pink lips, small ears, wide nostrils, and long hair on its head that forms a parting. Females have slightly more prominent breasts, in contrast to the flat breasts of other female apes, although not so prominent as those of humans. The bonobo also has a slim upper body, narrow shoulders, thin neck, and long legs when compared to the common chimpanzee.