Bonobo

For other uses, see Bonobo (disambiguation).

Bonobo[1]
Temporal range: 1.5–0 Ma
↓
 Early Pleistocene – Holocene
Male at Apenheul Primate Park
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[3]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Hominidae
Subfamily: Homininae
Tribe: Hominini
Genus: Pan
Species:
P. paniscus
Binomial name
Pan paniscus
Schwarz, 1929
Bonobo distribution

The bonobo (/bəˈnoʊboʊ, ˈbɒnəboʊ/; Pan paniscus), also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee (less often the dwarf chimpanzee or gracile chimpanzee), is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus Pan (the other being the common chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes).[4] While bonobos are, today, recognized as a distinct species in their own right, they were initially thought to be a subspecies of Pan troglodytes, due to the physical similarities between the two species. Taxonomically, members of the chimpanzee/bonobo subtribe Panina—composed entirely by the genus Pan—are collectively termed panins.[5][6]

Bonobos are distinguished from common chimpanzees by relatively long limbs, pinker lips, a darker face, a tail-tuft through adulthood, and parted, longer hair on their heads. Some individuals have sparser, thin hair over parts of their bodies. The bonobo is found in a 500,000 km2 (190,000 sq mi) area within the Congo Basin of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Central Africa. It is predominantly frugivorous,[7] compared to the often highly omnivorous diets and hunting of small monkeys, duiker and other antelope exhibited by common chimpanzees. Bonobos inhabit primary and secondary forest, including seasonally inundated swamp forest. Because of political instability in the region, and the general timidity of bonobos, there has been relatively little field work done observing the species in its natural habitat.

According to studies published in 2017 by researchers at The George Washington University, the ancestors of the genus Pan split from the human line about 8 million years ago; moreover, bonobos split from the common chimpanzee line about 2 million years ago.[8][9]

Along with the common chimpanzee, the bonobo is the closest extant relative to humans.[4] As the two species are not proficient swimmers, the natural formation of the Congo River (around 1.5–2 million years ago) possibly led to the isolation and speciation of the bonobo. Bonobos live south of the river, and thereby were separated from the ancestors of the common chimpanzee, which live north of the river. There are no concrete figures regarding population, but the estimate is between 29,500 and 50,000 individuals. The species is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and is most threatened by habitat destruction, human population growth and movement (as well as ongoing civil unrest and political infighting), with commercial poaching being, by far, the most prominent threat. Bonobos typically live 40 years in captivity; their lifespan in the wild is unknown, but it is almost certainly much shorter.[10]

  1. ^ Groves CP (2005). Wilson DE, Reeder DM (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 183. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ Fruth B, Hickey JR, André C, Furuichi T, Hart J, Hart T, Kuehl H, Maisels F, Nackoney J, Reinartz G, Sop T, Thompson J, Williamson EA (2016) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Pan paniscus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T15932A102331567.
  3. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  4. ^ a b Angier N (September 10, 2016). "Beware the Bonds of Female Bonobos". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  5. ^ Muehlenbein MP (2015). Basics in Human Evolution. Elsevier Science. pp. 114–115. ISBN 978-0-12-802652-6. Archived from the original on 2019-12-22. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  6. ^ Diogo R, Molnar JL, Wood B (April 2017). "Bonobo anatomy reveals stasis and mosaicism in chimpanzee evolution, and supports bonobos as the most appropriate extant model for the common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 608. Bibcode:2017NatSR...7..608D. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-00548-3. PMC 5428693. PMID 28377592.
  7. ^ Beaune, David (November 2012). "The Ecological Role of the Bonobo. Seed Dispersal Service in Congo Forests". ResearchGate. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference GWU-20170505 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference SR-20170404 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Rowe N (1996). Pictural Guide to the Living Primates. West Hampton: Pogonias Press. ISBN 0-9648825-1-5.