Bonobo
(Pan paniscus)
Facts
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IUCN ENDANGERED (EN)
Facts about this animal
The bonobo is very similar to the chimpanzee, but smaller and more lightly built. Their head-body length is 55-60 cm and they have a shoulder height of 90-100 cm. The weight is 25-40 kg. There is no marked sexual dimorphism, but males are somewhat bigger and heavier than females.
The Bonobo is one of the last large mammals to be discovered. Primatologists have characterized the species as "female-centered and egalitarian and as one that substitutes sex for aggression". The Bonobo shares more than 98% of our genetic profile, making it as close to a human as a fox is to a dog.
Did you know?
That bonobos were not formally identified by scientists until 1926? Before that, they were thought to be a subspecies of the common chimpanzee. They are still the least understood of the great apes.
| Factsheet | |
|---|---|
| Class | MAMMALIA |
| Order | PRIMATES |
| Suborder | SIMIAE |
| Family | PONGIDAE (HOMINIDAE) |
| Name (Scientific) | Pan paniscus |
| Name (English) | Bonobo |
| Name (French) | Bonobo ou Chimpanzé pygmée, Chimpanzé nain |
| Name (German) | Bonobo, Zwergschimpanse |
| Name (Spanish) | Chimpanzé pigmeo |
| CITES Status | Appendix I |
| CMS Status | Not listed |
Photo Copyright by
Kabir Bakie
Distribution
| Distribution | |
|---|---|
| Range | The Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Habitat | Tropical rainforest |
| Wild population | 29,500 (1997) and 50,000 (2001) (Red List IUCN 2011) |
| Zoo population | 200 registered by the International studbook (2004), 167 reported to ISIS (2007) |
In the Zoo
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How this animal should be transported
For air transport, Container Note 33 or 34 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.
Find this animal on ZooLex
Photo Copyright by
TacoDeposit
Why do zoos keep this animal
The Bonobo is an endangered species and its habitat is continuously shrinking and deteriorating. With a view of building up a viable reserve population, an International Studbook has been established already in 1967 under the WAZA umbrella, and coordinated conservation breeding programmes are operated at the regional level by AZA and EAZA.