Primate Sexual Behavior
In Chimpanzees and Bonobos
A study of two closely related primates with different sexual behavior.
A Project by Brian Lambert
for Biological Anthropology at the University of Illinois.
Chimpanzees and bonobos are both members of the great apes and both are hominoids, which in Latin means "like human". (Boaz, Almquist, 1999) . Both of these primates share the same genus Pan. Chimpanzees are classified as Pan troglodytes and Bonobos are classified as Pan paniscus, which means diminutive Pan. The main distinction between the two sexually is that in Chimpanzees, males are dominant. Bonobos are a female centered species where sex is substituted for agression. (De Waal, 1997) These two species of primates have their own patterns of sexual behavior, different from other primates, and this website will explain the distinct patterns of their behavior.
Each of the links below will explain and compare the two species' behavior:
A comparison between Chimpanzees and Bonobos
Other primates' social behavior
For More Information:
Click here for other websites about primates!
| Chimpanzees | Bonobos | Comparison | Other primates | Reference | HOME |
©2003 Brian Lambert