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bonobo
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
Illustration of a male bonobo, also known as a pygmy chimpanzee (Pan paniscus), standing upright with dark fur and a slender build. A scale bar below shows measurements of 30 centimeters and 12 inches for size reference. Map of central and western Africa showing the geographic ranges of chimpanzee and bonobo species, with color-coded areas for western chimpanzee (blue), Nigerian-Cameroon chimpanzee (purple), central chimpanzee (pink), eastern chimpanzee (orange), and bonobo (green). The ranges are concentrated in countries such as Guinea, Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and surrounding regions.
Learn about the social behavior of bonobos
Diagram tracing the evolutionary split of humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas over the past 12 million years, with skull illustrations for key hominin species and African great apes, and branching lines showing divergence points.
The video thumbnail image shows two black and white photos of monkey and ape heads, surrounded by blue and pink circles.
Bonobo ape with one arm raised, gazing at the camera. Illustration comparing the body plans of representative anthropoids, showing a male western lowland gorilla, a male human, a male bonobo, a female Bornean orangutan, and male and female northern white-cheeked gibbons, all labeled and depicted to scale.
At a Glance
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bonobo summary
Quizzes
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Animal Group Names
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Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)
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Related Questions

bonobo: References & Edit History

Additional Reading

Takayoshi Kano, The Last Ape: Pygmy Chimpanzee Behavior and Ecology (1992; originally published in Japanese, 1986), is the most extensive description of bonobos in their natural habitat. Frans de Waal, Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape (1997), compares the behaviour of captive and wild bonobos with that of other chimpanzees and humans. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh and Roger Lewin, Kanzi: The Ape at the Brink of the Human Mind (1994), describes the remarkable intellect of a bonobo living in a primate research laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia.

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • Toshisada Nishida
  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Modified link of Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - The bonobo genome compared with the chimpanzee and human genomes. Oct 17, 2026
Add new Web site: The Royal Society Publishing - Proceedings B - Selective and prolonged attention to emotional scenes in humans and bonobos. Jul 09, 2026
Add new Web site: American Association for the Advancement of Science - Science - Bonobos, the ‘hippie chimps,’ might not be so mellow after all. Oct 17, 2025
Add new Web site: The Royal Society Publishing - Proceedings B - Selective and prolonged attention to emotional scenes in humans and bonobos. Sep 06, 2025
Add new Web site: BMC Zoology - Semen collection, evaluation, and cryopreservation in the bonobo (Pan paniscus). Jul 15, 2025
Add new Web site: Cell Press - Current Biology - Deep genetic substructure within bonobos. Mar 21, 2025
Add new Web site: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance - LibGuides at International Environment Library Consortium - Bonobo (Pan paniscus) Fact Sheet: Summary. Feb 07, 2025
Media added. Oct 04, 2024
Add new Web site: PNAS - Bonobos and chimpanzees remember familiar conspecifics for decades. Sep 13, 2024
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - The bonobo genome compared with the chimpanzee and human genomes. Aug 02, 2024
Add new Web site: International Fund for Animal Welfare - Bonobos. May 10, 2024
Add new Web site: Nature - The bonobo genome compared with the chimpanzee and human genomes. Feb 26, 2024
Add new Web site: Animalia - Bonobo. Dec 05, 2023
Add new Web site: WWF - Bonobo. Oct 13, 2023
Add new Web site: New England Primate Conservancy - Bonobo. Jun 23, 2023
Add new Web site: University of Wisconsin-Madison - Wisconsin National Primate Research Center - Bonobo. Apr 28, 2023
Add new Web site: National Geographic - Bonobo. Jun 26, 2021
Article revised and updated. May 18, 2021
Corrected display issue. Nov 15, 2018
Media added. Mar 03, 2017
Add new Web site: KidsBiology.com - Pygmy Chimpanzee. Nov 26, 2013
Add new Web site: Discoverlife - Pygmy Chimpanzee. Nov 26, 2013
Add new Web site: San Diego Zoo - Kids - Bonobo. Aug 26, 2013
Add new Web site: Animal Diversity Web - Bonobo. Aug 26, 2013
Add new Web site: San Diego Zoo Animals and Plants - Bonobo. Aug 26, 2013
Add new Web site: A-Z Animals - Bonobo. Aug 26, 2013
Add new Web site: World Wildlife Fund - Bonobo. Aug 26, 2013
Add new Web site: Wildscreen Arkive - Bonobo. Aug 26, 2013
Added new Web site: African Wildlife Foundation - Bonobo. Sep 13, 2006
Article revised. Mar 16, 2006
Article revised. May 29, 2002
Article revised. Feb 16, 2001
Article revised. Jan 29, 1999
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
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