ENHS Nature Trails Oct. 97 Article 4

A New Look at Ourselves: Bonobo, The Forgotten Ape
Review by Evelyn McConnaughey
by Frans De Waal & Frans Lanting. 235 pages. University of California Press, 1997.

When I ran across a reference to this book about a sexy "new" ape, I immediately suggested it to our public library, which resulted in the privilege of having first chance to read it. In this large, beautifully illustrated volume, research primatologist, De Waal, and Lanting, photographer, have produced a study which sheds new light on the role of sex in human society and may overthrow established theories of human nature based on aggressiveness and the drive for power. It also helps us in piecing together the steps in our physical and social evolution toward cooperation, bipedality, male bonding, female bonding and the nuclear family unit.

Few people have heard of bonobos, Pan paniscus, one of four species of the great apes, found in a remote area of the Congo, (Zaire) tropical rain forest. Only now are scientists beginning to examine the intriguing social life of the bonobo. Yet, this little known cousin of humans, which, like the chimpanzee, shares 98% of our genetic makeup, is in its disposition, behavior, and physical characteristics, perhaps the ape most closely related to humans.

Robert Ardrey's "killer ape" ancestral model for humans, also described by Konrad Lorenz and other anthropologists, was based on chimpanzees, which are known for male power politics, cooperative hunting and intergroup warfare. A more likely candidate may be the bonobo, an intelligent, egalitarian vegetarian, that has a peaceable matriarchal-based society which emphasizes sensitivity to others, and employs an astonishing range of erotic sexual encounters to resolve tensions. In posture and physical characteristics, their slim and graceful body, red lips, females with their large breasts, and the constant sexual activity, bonobos are uncomfortably reminiscent of humans.

Sex, the magic key to in bonobo society in most interactions, is used to promote sharing, smooth squabbles, and produce bonding, especially between females, and similar to humans, is often performed frontally. The book details many fascinating examples based on observations of bonobos in zoos. Bonobos in captivity show language comprehension which some scientists declare, shows continuity between them and us. Their tendency to gesture with their right hands hints at brain patterns similar to those underlying human language specialization. The killing of infants by males, known to occur in a wide range of species does not seem to be a part of bonobo behavior. This is probably related to the fact that female bonobos exhibit sexual activity far beyond the periods of receptivity and conception, and thus males can have no clue as to which offspring they might sire.

Although some bonobo behavior may seem repugnant to our Puritan heritage, some human societies are known to have much sexual freedom, as for example the peoples of the Pacific before the arrival of Westerners. Bonobo family structure, unlike ours is not based on bonded couples raising children together. This fascinating research raises questions in the mind of the reader about our preference for monogamy and demands for fidelity. Probably their most endearing human-like characteristic is their remarkable sensitivity to others of their own kind and to humans and other species as well. Scientists who study them express joy at watching development of juveniles as they grow up and become part of close-knit social life. Like people, they differ widely from one another, and are easily appreciated as different personalities.

So far, the remoteness of their natural habitat has protected the bonobo from the large-scale habitat destruction that is taking place elsewhere in the tropics. They live long and healthy lives in captivity, but with such few numbers in zoos, and only a small population in the wild, we must hope that international laws will guarantee that these fascinating creatures will be protected and preserved. As the authors say in the preface, if we take good care of the bonobo, we may for a long time share this planet with a family member that affords us an entirely new look at ourselves (whether or not we entirely approve of what we see!)

[ Back ]

Page last modified: 08 May 1998
Location: http://biology.uoregon.edu/enhs/archive/oct97/oct974.html
E-mail the WebSpinner: aloysius@gladstone.uoregon.edu