Bonobos have long had a reputation as the cool hippies of the ape world, with the motto “love not war,” in contrast to their cantankerous cousins, the chimpanzees. But is this reputation justified? A new study suggests that’s not the case. Researchers observed aggressive behavior such as attacking, hitting, biting, slapping, kicking and running over in 22 groups of bonobos and chimpanzees – the two species genetically closest to humans – in 16 European zoos. The statistics showed no difference in the frequency of aggressive behavior, neither with nor without physical contact.
