Bonobo Facts
Bonobo Facts
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| Interesting Bonobo Facts: |
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| Although it is known as "dwaft chimpanzee", bonobo and chimpanzee are same-sized. Bonobo can reach between 29 and 35 inches in height, weighing between 55 and 110 pounds. Males are larger than females. |
| Besides chimpanzees, bonobo is one of the closest relatives of humans with 98% of similarity in its genetic material. Bonobo is highly intelligent and emotional animal. |
| Bonobo is able to understand language, to communicate with people, to play music instruments and to use variety of tools. |
| Bonobo has upright skeleton, long legs and narrow shoulders. It walks bipedally (on two legs). |
| Plants represent majority of bonobo's diet. They usually eat fruits, leaves, honey and seeds. Insects, worms, eggs and crustaceans are occasionally on the menu. Bonobos will rarely hunt and eat small mammals. |
| Bonobos are diurnal (active during the day) animals. They spend part of their life on the ground and other part on the trees. |
| Like many species of primates, bonobo's thumb is opposed to other fingers. This feature allows bonobo to grip the branches and to use different tools. |
| Bonobo live in large group composed of one alpha male, large number of females and their offspring. Group of bonobos is called "troop" and it can consist of 100 members. |
| Unlike chimpanzees, bonobo live in harmony with all the members of the group. Fights and disagreements are rarely seen in the wild. Life in the group provides protection against predators. |
| Main predators of bonobo are crocodiles and humans. |
| Group of bonobos spend the night in the nests in the trees. They communicate using high-pitched barking sounds when they are gathered in a group. |
| Bonobo does not have specific mating season. Females become sexually mature at the age of 13-14 years. After that period, they will have offspring every 5 to 6 years. Each female has between 5 and 7 babies during the life. |
| Pregnancy lasts 8 months and ends with a single baby. Bond between mother and baby is strong. Mother takes care of the young bonobo between 3 and 6 years. |
| Young males are more dependent on their mothers than young females. They will stay within the troop even when they reach sexual maturity. Females will leave and join another troop. |
| Average lifespan of bonobo is 40 years in captivity. |
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