The Similarities Between Chimpanzee And Bonobos

Bonobo is an African ape closely related to the chimpanzee. Bonobos are also known as pygmy chimpanzee or known by their scientific name Pan Paniscus (Bonobos, n.d), Bonobos are considered primates, and primates are all equally and well adapted to their environments. Think of advanced as meaning "specialized". So some primates have more specializations than others. Bonobos live in an area of the African rain forest in Zaire. This is located in central Africa and it is approximately 1.5 square million miles. It is the world’s second largest rainforest (Africa facts, n.d.). Wild bonobos can only be found in forests south of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (Williams, 2004). Commercial logging and expansion of farming

Bonobos share 98.7% of our genetic make-up (DNA) (Carroll, n.d.). This leads too many similarities between bonobos and humans, but also some key differences. Being so that bonobos share so much DNA makes them closer to us than they are to gorillas (7 Facts about Bonobos n.d.). Bonobos have an upright skeleton, long legs, and narrow shoulders. They can walk biped ally which means on two feet. Bonobos are described as coal black faced, with rosy pink lips, and coal black long hair that neatly parts straight down the middle of its head. Their hands and feet are also coal black matching their face and hair. They also have a little bit of webbing between their first two toes. The thumb of the bonobo like any other species is opposed to the other fingers. This allows the bonobo to swing from branch to branch and grasp tools when needed. They do not have a tail. The Bonobo has a very high pitched voice in comparison to other apes almost birdlike noises. The high pitched voice allows them to communicate at night when, they are trying to gather in a group in the trees and nests. Their sizes differ between the males and the females and adults. The head size and body length is about 29-38 inches long. Adult males weigh in about roughly at about 39kg (86 pounds). Adult females weigh about 31kg (68.3 pounds). The total population of bonobo’s is 10,000 to 50,000 (Carroll, Bonobos Facts,

The females are known to become sexually active and mature at ages 13-14. Usually after that period of time they tend to offspring for every five to six years. During their life span the female bonobo has roughly about five to seven babies. Considering that the lifespan of the bonobo is about 40 years in captivity. When becoming pregnant the pregnancy usually lasts eight months and only has one baby bonobo at a time. Like humans the mother has a strong bond and connection with her baby. The female bonobo takes care of the baby for three to six years and then they tend the females tend to leave to another group. The male bonobo are more dependent on the mom and will stay close to them even after reaching their sexual maturity (Bonobo