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| The Bonobo with a beautiful smile |
The Bonobos (Pan Paniscus) of central Africa make love not war. They are considered the most rare and least known of the great apes and are sometimes referred to as the pygmy chimpanzee. The peculiar behavior of the bonobos (oh how I love the sound of that) has recently captured the attention of many social scientists and conservationists worldwide. Many scientists regard the bonobo as the species that most closely resembles early human ancestors. Like the chimpanzees, bonobos share over 98% of their genetic makeup with humans, but unlike its chimpanzee relative, the bonobo is found only in the central African country of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The exact number of bonobos that exist in the wild is unknown, but due to rain-forest destruction and poaching, the species has disappeared from much of its historic range.
Apparently the bonobos also enjoy a lot of sex. Instead of fighting or arguing to settle an argument in their society, the bonobos use sex to pacify the aggressor. There are also one of the only few primates that have sex not only for procreation but also for recreation. In the video below that was taken from the BBC Nature Wildlife, you can clearly see that the bonobos enjoy a lot of sex. This alone is an indication that humans are not very different from the bonobos. Furthermore, the bonobos engage in behaviors such as tongue kissing and oral sex. It also seem like these unique species are at the fore-front of the gay rights movement. They do not discriminate in their sexual behavior by sex or age with the possible exception of abstaining from sexual intercourse between mothers and their adult sons. How about the sexual intercourse between fathers and their adult daughters? Is that allowed? I am not too sure on that one as I have not read of such a situation but it could be a possibility considering the promiscuity of the bonobo society. Interesting creatures, aren't they? Learn more by watching the videos below :)
The Bonobo Chimps
-- Amulya Sirch
