African Primates: Bonobos

Bonobos are tied with Chimpanzees for the animal closest to humans genetically (98%) and in their general behaviour. They are very intelligent and look very similar to chimps too, with distinctive black faces and parted long hair and webbed toes that make climbing trees easier. They are also a similar height to chimps at 4ft and weigh between 65-85lb. And they have a very long life expectancy of around 50 years in the wild but up to 60 years in captivity. They are found exclusively within the DR Congo and are often found in rain forest around the shores of the River Congo. This has made conservation efforts tough due to ongoing conflicts within the DR Congo and a subsequent inability to enforce laws regarding human poaching and destruction of rainforest habitat. Bonobos live in groups of 50-100 which almost always break up during the day into small ‘forager groups’ where they will search and eat their favourite meal of ripe fruits, but they will also supplement this diet with leaves, flowers, insects and very occasionally meat if they happen to find some in an opportunistic manner. The groups then rejoin later in the day after foraging for around 8-10  hours and they will make a sleeping nests from branches and leaves and will sleep together as one large group again. Bonobos are extremely intelligent and will point to things if they have to remain quiet, and they will even whimper if they fail at a task just like humans do.