Comments on: Bonobo Handshake

By: Ivan Quentin

Ivan Quentin — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 16:20:19 +0000

It’s a good thing that the habitat of the bonobos is so inaccessible. If not for that, they would probably be on the endangered species list by now!

…Whoops! I googled bonobos before posting this. They ARE on the endangered species list in spite of their inaccessibility!

By: earl

earl — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 03:18:19 +0000

The Bonobo is a chimpanzee and was called a Pygmy Chimpanzee in days gone by. The Bonobo and the Common Chimpanzee together make up the chimpanzee genus,Pan.
(Pan paniscus and Pan troglodytes, respectively)

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 22:21:26 +0000

Ah, we covered this Bonobo predilection on Neatorama's 30 Strangest Animal Mating Habits post.

By: Retrokatze

Retrokatze — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 20:03:28 +0000

In regard to bob's comment: another interesting article under 12 pages concerning the same problem.

By: bob

bob — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:03:13 +0000

There was an interesting article about bonobos (and how they are studied) in the New Yorker a while back. What little study of bonobos there had been suggested that are much more peaceful and have much more sex than chimps, and, if I remember correctly, had a matriarchal society. This being an idea that’s extremely attractive to some people, those aspects of their behavior tend to be all any one discusses. Which means that they tend to be exagerated as any actual observations filter through what people want to see and what makes the most interesting story. Which is why people tend to discuss bonobos as the opposites of chimps – violent chimps, peaceful bonobos is an easily understandable story. Which is exacerbated by the fact that the work on bonobos that is most read and quoted is by Frans de Waal, who has never seen a wild bonobo, only those in captivity. The behavior of animals in a situation in which there is a constant food supply, no threat from predators, and nothing to do – not to mention in smaller groups than they are found in the wild – is different from behavior in the wild. It’s an interesting artice, and can be found online.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/07/30/070730fa_fact_parker

By: Retrokatze

Retrokatze — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:50:04 +0000

Jeez, people, learn to read! “[...] sex is like a handshake.” There’s a difference!
And how old are you anyway, 12?!

By: Retrokatze

Retrokatze — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:47:43 +0000

Jeez, people, learn to READ! “[...] sex is like a handshake.” There’s a difference. And how old are you anyway? 12?

By: algonkin

algonkin — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 12:18:29 +0000

Bonobos use SEX as a handshake? Hummm … could you imagine a Bonobo conference?

By: Katsoulis

Katsoulis — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:59:12 +0000

A very big part of the reason so little is know about the Bonobo is that their propensity for sex means there is no way for PBS or National Georgraphic or the Discovery Channel or the like, will be willing to show the majority of Bonobo behavior.

Unfortunately, the has resulted in a lack of public awareness, which translates to a lack of funding. So while we are all aware of our somewhat violent genetic cousins, the chimps, our peace-loving (and sex loving) cousins the Bonobo’s get mostly ignored.

By: biltmore

biltmore — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 05:32:36 +0000

Creationists crack me up. They make up the craziest shit.

By: implicacomplications

implicacomplications — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 05:31:25 +0000

ok…so bonobos use SEX as a handshake. So how does this blog owner greet her primate friends…and why is her blog called bonobo handshake? Hmmmm.

By: ohyeahiwentthere

ohyeahiwentthere — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 05:29:24 +0000

Considering that Bonobos use sex as a form of handshake…. You gotta wonder what the blog owner does to greet her primate friends. o_o

By: Lasse

Lasse — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 04:52:14 +0000

“Bonobo share 98.7% of our DNA, equal to our more famous cousins, chimpanzees.”

That explains a lot of things. No wonder creationists are trying to cover it up.