---
title: "What the sources say about the Bonobo | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "46 claims from the Bonobo profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/bonobo-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/bonobo/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Bonobo (*Pan paniscus*)

> 46 claims from the Bonobo profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Bonobo](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/bonobo/)

## Fruth et al. (2016). Pan paniscus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T15932A102331567.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-2.rlts.t15932a17964305.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Endangered | IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN). (note: stats.conservationStatus; read through GBIF's copy of the Red List, taxon 15932) |
| The IUCN Red List rates the bonobo Endangered. | IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN). (note: category via GBIF's copy of the Red List, taxon 15932) |

## Bonobo. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/bonobo

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The Congo forest ape where the females rule the roost. | in the largely peaceful bonobo society, the females rule the roost (note: tagline) |
| Congo forest | Bonobos live in the rainforests of the Congo Basin in Africa (note: tagline) |
| Rainforest of the Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo | Bonobos live in the rainforests of the Congo Basin in Africa (note: habitat; DRC from next quote) |
| Rainforest of the Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo | Bonobos are found only in a small part of one country in Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (note: habitat) |
| Largely peaceful | in the largely peaceful bonobo society (note: superpower label) |
| Bonobo society is run by the females. | the females take charge and keep lifelong bonds with their sons |
| Mothers keep lifelong bonds with their sons | the females take charge and keep lifelong bonds with their sons |
| adult females form strong bonds with each other | Adult females form strong bonds with each other |
| Bonobos also use touch to give each other reassurance and comfort. | Bonobos use touch to give reassurance and comfort to each other |
| From head to rump they measure 70 to 83 centimeters. | From head to rump: 2.3 to 2.7 feet (70 to 83 centimeters) |
| Males weigh about 39 kilograms and females about 31 kilograms. | Females about 68 pounds (31 kilograms); males about 86 pounds (39 kilograms) |
| Compared with chimpanzees, they are more slender, with smaller heads and smaller ears. | bonobos are more slender and have smaller heads and smaller ears |
| They are also more comfortable walking upright | Bonobos are more comfortable walking upright than chimpanzees are |
| their hair is neatly parted down the middle of the head | bonobos look quite distinguished with their “hair” neatly parted down the middle of their head |
| They keep a white rump patch for life, while the patch darkens with age on chimpanzees. | They also keep their white rump patch for life, while the patch darkens with age on chimpanzees |
| Bonobos live in the rainforests of the Congo Basin, in a small part of one country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. | Bonobos live in the rainforests of the Congo Basin in Africa (note: first half) |
| Bonobos live in the rainforests of the Congo Basin, in a small part of one country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. | Bonobos are found only in a small part of one country in Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (note: second half) |
| they spend hours hunting for earthworms | Bonobos also spend hours hunting for earthworms to snack on |
| Each evening they build sturdy nests of leaves and twigs in the forks of trees. | They use leaves and twigs to build sturdy nests in the forks of trees each evening |
| Adults sometimes share one. | Adult bonobos sometimes share a nest (note: #981: the uniqueness clause (one zoo page's claim about every other great ape) was cut) |
| People hunt bonobos for food and sell their babies into the pet trade | Humans continue to move into bonobo habitat, hunting these amazing apes for food and selling their babies into the pet trade |
| logging roads give people easier access to hunt or capture many rainforest animals, including bonobos. | Commercial logging operations create new roads to harvest timber, giving people easier access to hunt or capture many rainforest wildlife, including bonobos |
| Females don't usually have their first baby until they are about 13 years old | the females don’t usually have their first baby until they are about 13 years old |
| a mother gives birth every five to six years. | The mother gives birth every five to six years |
| Bonobos live over 50 years in expert care, and their lifespan in the wild is unknown. | Over 50 years in expert care, unknown in the wilderness |
| Earlier scientists took bonobos for a smaller version of the common chimpanzee, but the two are about the same size. | Earlier scientists thought the bonobo was just a smaller version of the common chimpanzee and so the term “pygmy chimpanzee” was used. ... Chimpanzees and bonobos are about the same size |
| Bonobos were described as a subspecies of chimpanzee in 1929 and identified as their own species in 1933. | Bonobos were described as a subspecies of chimpanzee in 1929 but identified as a separate species in 1933 |
| Bonobos have been observed sponging water out of tree trunks with moss, fashioning a rain hat out of leaves, and shaping a toothpick out of a twig. | These clever apes have been observed sponging water out of tree trunks with moss, fashioning a rain hat out of leaves, and shaping a toothpick out of a twig |
| a newborn weighs 1.3 kilograms (2.8 pounds). | Weight at birth: 2.8 pounds (1.3 kilograms) |
| Pregnancy lasts about 8 months | Gestation: About 8 months (note: gestation = pregnancy) |
| Infants are born virtually helpless and are carried everywhere by their mothers for the first two years. | Infants are born virtually helpless and must be carried everywhere by their mothers for the first two years |
| Bonobos have been observed sponging water out of tree trunks with moss, fashioning a rain hat out of leaves and shaping a toothpick out of a twig | These clever apes have been observed sponging water out of tree trunks with moss, fashioning a rain hat out of leaves, and shaping a toothpick out of a twig (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body claim) |

## Pan paniscus (bonobo). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pan_paniscus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Fruit, plus leaves, stems, shoots, termites and worms | Fruit comprises the largest portion of the diet of P. paniscus ... Plant parts consumed include fruit, nuts, stems, shoots, pith, leaves, roots, tubers and flowers. ... Invertebrates form a small proportion of the diet and include termites, grubs, and worms. (note: diet) |
| Males stay in the group they were born in for life, while females leave in adolescence to join another one. | Male bonobos stay in their natal group for life, whereas females leave during adolescence to join another group (note: natal group = group born in) |
| A male's rise in dominance is correlated with his mother's strong presence in the group. | A male bonobo’s rise in dominance is correlated with a mother’s strong presence in the group |
| Bonobos are apes with dark hair covering their bodies. | Bonobos are apes about two-thirds the size of humans, with dark hair covering their bodies |
| Fruit makes up the largest part of their diet. | Fruit comprises the largest portion of the diet of P. paniscus |
| They also eat leaves, stems, shoots, termites, grubs and worms | Plant parts consumed include fruit, nuts, stems, shoots, pith, leaves, roots, tubers and flowers. ... Invertebrates form a small proportion of the diet and include termites, grubs, and worms. |
| dangerLevel: Medium | Negative Impacts injures humans carries human disease crop pest (note: #981: kept Medium. ADW lists injuries to people; no cached source reports a serious injury or a death, so not High or Deadly) |

## Wilson et al. (2014). Lethal aggression in Pan is better explained by adaptive strategies than human impacts. Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13727

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a 2014 study of four bonobo communities over five decades logged one suspected killing | we compiled information from 18 chimpanzee communities and 4 bonobo communities studied over five decades. Our data include 152 killings (n = 58 observed, 41 inferred, and 53 suspected killings) by chimpanzees in 15 communities and one suspected killing by bonobos (note: superpower; 2014 = publication year) |
| Researchers pooled records from 18 chimpanzee communities and 4 bonobo communities studied over five decades. | we compiled information from 18 chimpanzee communities and 4 bonobo communities studied over five decades |
| Their data include 152 killings by chimpanzees and one suspected killing by bonobos. | Our data include 152 killings (n = 58 observed, 41 inferred, and 53 suspected killings) by chimpanzees in 15 communities and one suspected killing by bonobos |

## Furuichi (2011). Female contributions to the peaceful nature of bonobo society. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews.

https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.20308

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a 2011 paper found no confirmed record of infanticide among bonobos | there is no confirmed record of such an event among bonobos (note: superpower; 'such an event' = infanticide, in the preceding sentence; 2011 = the paper's publication year) |
| A 2011 paper also found no confirmed record of infanticide (the killing of babies) among bonobos, against many records for male chimpanzees. | While there are many records of infanticide by male chimpanzees, there is no confirmed record of such an event among bonobos (note: 'infanticide (the killing of babies)' is the definition; 2011 = the paper's publication year) |