Virtual Non-Human Primate Zoo
Photo Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bonobo_%28Pan_paniscus%29_at_Lola_Ya_Bonobo_-_3.JPG
Photo Credit: http://www.arkive.org/bonobo/pan-paniscus/image-G6534.html
Photo Credit: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2012/mar/19/body-language-interviews-teaching-job
Bonobo - Pan paniscus
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorrhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Parvorder: Catarrhini
Superfamily: Hominoidea
Family: Hominidae
Subfamily: Homininae
Genus: Pan
Species: paniscus
COMMON NAME:
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bonobo chimpanzee
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pygmy chimpanzee
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION:
Democratic Republic of Congo
HABITAT:
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lowland jungle
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swamp forests
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
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black, grey, brown hair
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opposable thumbs
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large body size
DIET: Omnivores
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Common food sources: fruit (57% of total intake), seeds, sprouts, leaves, flowers, bark, stems, pith, roots, and mushrooms
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In small quantity: small mammals (scavenged not hunted), insect larvae, earthworms, honey, eggs, and soil
LOCOMOTION TYPE: Quadrupedal knuckle-walkers
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modified brachiation
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occasional bipedalism
SOCIAL GROUP ORGANIZATION: Fission-fusion society
PARENTAL CARE: Mother is primary caregiver
COMMUNICATION:
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Visual: silent teeth baring, tense mouth, silent pout, duck, and play face
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Vocal: high pitched voices, high hooting, low hooting, and greeting grunts
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:
Bonobo self-medicate against intestinal parasites by swallowing whole leaves during peak season of parasitic nematode infection. Ingesting whole leaves, rather than chewed, provides rough surfaces which pass through the digestive system and aid in the removal of parasitic worms from the intestines.
ENDANGERMENT STATUS: Endangered
Major Threats:
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commercial poaching
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residue of civil war
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human population change
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habitat alteration
To learn more about Pan paniscus, visit the following websites:
Information and photographs compiled by T. King and J. Saiza.