Interesting Facts About The Bonobos

Did you know that bonobos are among unique apes in the Democratic Republic of Congo? Whereas other apes are very famous in the world, little is known about the bonobos and yet they feature among the very few dramatic wild creatures in the world. In most cases, they have been confused with the chimpanzees but the Bonobos are actually different on their own way. They are scientifically known as pan paniscus formally known as the pygmy.

They feature among our closest relatives compared to any primates. Bonobos share about 98.7 of their DNA with humans making them more closely related to us than even the gorillas. This also brings more similarities between bonobos and humans as well as specific differences.

Bonobo Safaris in DR Congo Basin

Bonobos are endangered species and they are only thriving in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They thrive in the Congo Basin that features a large forest which is about 3 times the size of France. But unfortunately, bush meat trade has left them vulnerable to poaching. The exact number is not known but they are estimated to be fewer than 5000.

Unlike other apes, for Bonobos, the females are the ones in charge of the family and this explains why they always live harmoniously. The dominant Bonobo in any family is not a male. This is something rare in the animal kingdom. In case the females are in control, they are larger than the males. The female Bonobos are smaller compared to males but the females have very special friendships. In case any males in the family turn to be aggressive, the females can gather forces and stop him from injuring anyone in the group. For so many years, the Bonobos have become less aggressive compared to their colleagues humans inclusive.

The Bonobos live in harmony. While some of us think that humans are the most intelligent creatures on the planet. The good side is that we have been helped by an ever technology but the challenge that we have fail to curb down is murder, war and bloodshed and these are some of the traits that we share with our closest cousins, chimpanzees. Human beings share almost the same murder rate with chimpanzees. However, the bonobos are the only amazing large primates which have not been sighted killing their own colleagues.

They are also very good Samaritans. Research at Lola Ya Bonobo sanctuary indicates that they are authentically good Samaritans compared to human beings. While most of us usually prefer helping those whom we are closely related to or rather those whom we know and not the strangers, for Bonobos, they love sharing and amazingly they attach empathy to group and friends but when given a choice, the bonobos like sharing food with even the strangers.

They can hand shake. The main way they diffuse tension is original, they have sex or rather use social contact. To tighten the friendship, females rub their genitals together. In case any of them in the family, whether male or female is feeling stressed, hurt or anxious someone will run over and give them a Bonobo handshake. This is rather the best way to curb down conflicts in their community.

From the above discussion, the Bonobos are a few unique primates of a kind. They display rare traits from the rest of apes and this makes them among the few remarkable creatures in the world. If you are planning to spend your vacation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, never miss to pay a visit to these impressive apes.