Primates still have a lot to teach us. After discovering the presence of Skywalker gibbons in Myanmar, researchers have made a surprising discovery about bonobos.
These primates are part of the Hominid family. They are known to be generally peaceful. Bonobos are indeed known for their social organization and sexual activity.
The myth of peaceful bonobos, however, is on the verge of collapse. A new study published in the journal Current Biology actually demonstrates the opposite. Or at least that these monkeys would be more aggressive than some of their cousins.
Male bonobos engage in violent interactions more often than chimpanzees
In this case, it is the chimpanzees who are ultimately less violent than the male bonobos. Before reaching this conclusion, the researchers studied three groups of bonobos (Pan paniscus) in the Kokolopori reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
They compared their behavior with that of two communities of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) from Gombe National Park in Tanzania. Specifically, the researchers followed 12 bonobos and 14 chimpanzees for several days.
All aggressive interactions initiated by the tracked primates were recorded. The researchers also noted who the primates were aggressive with. They then checked whether the aggressive interactions ended with fighting and biting or whether they were limited to vocal exchanges.
Male bonobos generally do not attack females
As Maud Mouginot, author of the study, explains, “You go into their nests and wait for them to wake up, then you follow them all day – from the time they wake up to the time they go to sleep.” at night – and you record everything they do.”
Contrary to expected results, researchers discovered that male bonobos are often more aggressive than chimpanzees. “The idea is not to remove the image of peaceful bonobos, the idea is that there is much more complexity in the two species,” continues Maud Mouginot in a press release.
However, it is important to point out that male bonobos are aggressive almost exclusively towards other males. Conversely, male chimpanzees are also aggressive towards females.
Aggressive interactions are most often one-on-one
Additionally, chimpanzees tend to be aggressive in groups of males. This obviously increases the risk of injury and weakening the entire group against other threats.
In fact, “chimpanzees and bonobos use aggression in different ways for specific reasons,” according to the researcher. Bonobos, on the other hand, prefer to have aggressive one-on-one interactions. They also don’t seem to want to kill their opponent.
In both species, the nastiest male is generally the one who is most successful with females. “More aggressive male bonobos obtain more copulations with females, which we would not expect,” adds Maud Mouginot. Females therefore do not seem to prefer calmer and nicer males.
Source: Current Biology
