Overview

• Recent research indicates male bonobos engage in 2.8 times more aggressive interactions and three times as many physical aggressions than male chimpanzees.
• The study, conducted at Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve and Gombe National Park, utilized detailed tracking of individual animals to compare aggression rates.
• Male bonobos predominantly display aggression towards other males, while chimpanzees also target females.
• Findings suggest that the more aggressive male bonobos achieve greater mating success, a surprising revelation given their co-dominant social structure.
• The study challenges the self-domestication hypothesis, which posits evolution has selected against aggression in bonobos, highlighting the complexity of primate behavior.