Similarities Between Bonobos And Chimpanzees

Bonobos and chimpanzees are a unique pair of organisms that are a great example of how two different species are so closely related, but are so distant in characteristics. Both bonobos and chimpanzees fall with in the same genius but are two different species altogether. Two million years ago both bonobos and chimpanzees originated from the same common ancestor, making the genome of the two species about 99.6 percent identical. Yet, differences between bonobos and chimpanzees are revealed when we compare their appearance, social behavior and governing societies. The Congo is the only place where bonobos are found, and because of tensions between the people of the country, the study of bonobos in the wild has been very difficult. Because of the inability of scientist to frequent the area where bonobos are found, they remain the lesser recognized among the two species. bonobos are often confused with chimps and are often thought to be same animal. In reality, bonobos and chimps were identified as separate species in 1929. Due to their role in human pop culture chimpanzees are known by the most people. Chimpanzees are mainly found Across West Africa and Central Africa, with populations distributed over several different countries. While bonobos and chimps look much alike, there are few …show more content…
Male dominance has a big affect in the way they differ. Female chimps are much more solitary than the females of bonobos and are often harassed by chimp males. For chimps, sex is strictly for producing offspring and to ensure ones genes are passed along. Chimps are also guilty of infanticide. This enables the infant-less mothers to become mate worthy much sooner. In contrast, the society of bonobos is strengthened by powerful bonds between the females and as I mentioned earlier, female bonobos control the group by using sex to reinforce these