Zoology: Bones

Female, 9-year-old bonobo. Sometimes called the pygmy chimp, the bonobo is a species distinct from the common chimp, P. troglodytes. Its behavior, especially among females, is thought to resemble human behavior more than does the common chimp's. Living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), the bonobo is smaller, has more webbing between its toes and less sexual dimorphism than the common chimp. The difference between the two chimps was first recognized by Portielje in 1916 and a few years later by Yerkes. But it wasn't until 1929 that Schwarz described the bonobo as a separate subspecies. Coolidge, in 1933, described the bonobo more fully, finally recognizing it as a distinct species. Humans, chimps, and bonobos share a common ancestry, with humans splitting off around 6 million years ago. Bonobos and chimps parted company around 3 million years ago.

All individual postcranial bones are also available, See the SC-123 Group Page.

Conservation Status: Endangered

45 inches tall, 14 inches wide / 114.3 cm x 35.6 cm