TAXONOMY
Describer (Date): Schwartz (1929)
Order: Primates
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Pan
Species: P. paniscus
Subspecies: none
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS 
HBL: 70-90 cm (2.3-3 ft)
Tail: None
Wt: M-45 kg (99 lbs); F-33 kg (73 lbs)
Coat: Black skin & hair; white anal tuft

 

DISTRIBUTION AND STATUS
Range: Congo Basin, Democratic Republic of Congo
Habitat: Tropical rainforest
IUCN Status: Endangered
CITES/Appendix: I
Population in Wild: 20,000 - 50,000
ISIS captive population
BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY
Locomotion: Terrestrial knuckle-walking;
versatile climbing; also walk upright, bipedally
Activity Cycle: Diurnal
Social Groups: Bisexual, multi-male groups
with fluid subgroups
Communication: Vocalizations, hand gestures,
facial expressions
Diet: Mostly fruits; also leaves, flowers, insects,
small mammals
Enemies: Man (subsistence hunting, slash &
burn agriculture, logging, bushmeat trade,)

 

REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT
Sexual Maturity: 8-9 years
Gestation: 231-255 days
Litter Size: 1 (twins rare)
Birth weight: 1.27 kg (2.8 lb)
Birth coat: Black. Rump skin bare, white tuft grows later
Age at Weaning: 4 to 5 years
SPECIES HIGHLIGHTS
Feature Facts: Bonobo males in the wild
have never been observed organizing raids
against other groups of bonobos.
Chimpanzee males, by contrast, do conduct
raids, often with fatal results. Instead, bonobo
mixed-sex groups usually mingle with
neighbors without significant conflict.

Society Press: Kakowet was first bonobo
exhibited at SD Zoo in 1963. Kakowet and
mate Linda produced 10 offspring.

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