1. Introducing Bonobos
http://www.bonobo.org/news-
knowledge/teacher-resources/

2. Have you heard of bonobos?

3. Bonobo
Pan paniscus

4. Do the bonobos remind you of
anything or anyone? Why?

5. The Great Apes
• And according to some scientists, humans are
great apes, too.
•Bonobos
•Orangutans
•Gorillas
•Chimpanzees

6. Which is which?

7. Which is which?
Gorilla Bonobo Orangutan Chimpanzee

8. Meeting the bonobos
• Bonobosarefound in only
onecountry: theDemocratic
Republic of Congo.
• They inhabit theheart of the
Congo Basin, thesecond
largest rain forest on earth.
• Thisregion isalso hometo a
vast array of other wildlife
speciesincluding leopard,
forest elephant, sitatunga,
bongo, okapi, forest buffalo,
congo peacock, and avariety
of primates.

9. Describe the physical
characteristics of the bonobo.

10. Adult Females Adult Males
• Average weight is 31
kg/68.3 lbs
• Average height is 2.3
to 2.49 ft
• Average weight is 39
kg/86 lbs
• Average height is
2.40 to 2.72 ft

11. Bonobo Social Groups
• Bonobos live in groups of up to 100
individuals. Most groups have between
25-75 bonobos.
They form smaller groups during the day
to forage.
• What is foraging?

12. 57% of their diet is fruit
• Bonobos forage for
fruit, nuts, seeds,
sprouts, vegetation,
and mushrooms.
• They eat various
parts of plants,
including the leaves,
flowers, bark, stems,
pith, and roots.

13. • They also eat insect larvae, earthworms,
honey, eggs, and soil. Only sometimes
do they eat small mammals and they
very rarely hunt.
• You could say they are primarily
vegetarians or herbivores.

14. • At night, bonobos re-group and build night
nests in the trees
• These are made of branches, leaves, and other
vegetation.
• As they prepare to sleep, bonobos fill the
twilight with a symphony of soprano squeals.
Their high-pitched vocalizations sound like a
flock of exotic birds.

15. • Bonobos and people share more than
98% of the same genetic make-up
(DNA).
• In our next lesson we will examine what
other similarities – and differences –
there are between bonobos and humans.