US EditionFemale Bonobos Assert Their Dominance Over Males by Banding Together, New Study Suggests
- A new study compared consolation behaviors between bonobos and chimpanzees over eight months at two African sanctuaries in Zambia and the Congo.
- The research aimed to provide a fair comparison because there had been no previous direct studies of consolation in both species under similar conditions.
- Researchers observed that both species consoled others at similar rates, with greater variation found within each species than between them, and younger apes showing stronger consoling tendencies.
- The results indicate that bonobos are not inherently more empathetic than chimpanzees, and that empathy expression varies based on individual characteristics and social context rather than species alone.
- These results suggest empathy has deep evolutionary roots shared by both apes, urging a move beyond stereotypes to better understand the origins of human social behavior.
12 Articles
12 Articles
How Female Bonobos Rule
Among most apes, males seem to dominate the social hierarchy—but for one of our closest living relatives, it’s a different story. In their social circles, female bonobos call the shots. They exhibit unique control over mating and get the first pick of food, while males wait for their turn. But researchers haven’t been entirely sure how the females earn their high status against their bulkier, brawnier male bonobo peers. Nautilus Members enjoy a…
The Independent
The Independent (US)The truth about chimpanzees and empathy – and what it tells us about human behaviour
The apes comfort each other much the way people do, write Jake Brooker and Zanna Clay
Humans, chimpanzees and bonobos share about 98% of their DNA, which makes them the closest living relatives, genetically speaking. There are many behaviors that are repeated in these species and one of them is their sexual behavior. More specifically, their way of using sex to reduce tension, prevent conflicts, relieve stress or as a method of reconciliation, of restoring social ties and as comfort. The great apes, smarter and more resolutive th…
Our ape cousins show us empathy has deep evolutionary roots – new research
When people find out we study chimpanzees, they usually ask about their dark side. “You know chimpanzees kill each other, right?” or “Aren’t they the only animals besides humans that wage wars?” Chimpanzees are often cast as a mirror to our darkest tendencies, embodying violence, territoriality and power struggles. In contrast, bonobos are known as the most empathetic ape, heralded as the pacifist hippies, led by female collectives, who make lov…
Female Bonobos Assert Their Dominance Over Males by Banding Together, New Study Suggests
Bonobos, which are among our closest living relatives, live in rare societies where females tend to outrank males, even though males are larger and stronger. Scientists compiled decades of observations to explain why
In the depths of the Congolese jungle, a unique group of primates is rewriting the rules of wild coexistence. These are bonobos, the close relatives of the human being, whose social behavior has bewildered scientists for decades. In a world where the most common thing is that the male dominates the rest of the group through the use of brute force, bonobo females are demonstrating that union can be stronger than muscles. For more than thirty year…
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