Our closest relative…the Bonobo

It’s generally thought that gorillas are our closest relative, but actually it’s
chimpanzees and the lesser known bonobo which share around 98.5% of our DNA. Chimps and bonobos are both part of the genus Pan.  But whilst they are seen as equally close to us genetically, their behaviour is markedly different. Bonobo’s definitely have more ‘human’ traits; their musular-skeletal frame is similar to Australopithecus, our early human ancestor, with slender shoulders and longer legs, they can walk upright on two legs, whereas chimps can only do this briefly. They also have a flatter face than chimps.

Bonobo’s live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and it’s thought that when the Congo River was formed it divided members of the Pan genus, and so each developed separately. Chimps are more widely distributed over Central and West Africa.

Sources: animalfactguide.com; evolutionaryanthropology.duke.edu;

Images: bonobo vs. chimp – ngm.national geographic;