2024-04-12 17:21:32
– Fighting bonobos are more successful with females
According to a study published Friday, bonobo males that are more aggressive towards their peers mate more.
Published today at 7:21 p.m.
Bonobos are known to be rather peaceful. The study contradicts this reputation.
AFP
The two primates closest to humans are also often compared to its two sides: the peaceful bonobos and the violent chimpanzees. But it’s actually not that simple, according to a study published Friday in the scientific journal Current Biology. Male bonobos actually fight more often than male chimpanzees — and the more feisty bonobos are more successful with females.
Since their designation as a separate species from chimpanzees, bonobos have gained a reputation as quasi-“hippies,” using sex as a way to resolve conflicts. They are also known for homosexual behavior, particularly among females, and for their propensity to share food.
Other researchers have already attempted to compare the rate of aggression between the two species, which have 99.6% of their DNA in common. But these studies did not use the same methodology in their observations, and the results were therefore limited.
Maud Mouginot and her colleagues studied three groups of bonobos in a reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and two groups of chimpanzees in Gombe National Park in Tanzania. Researchers have studied the behavior of males in particular, generally linked to reproductive success.
By observing the behavior of 12 bonobos and 14 male chimpanzees over two years, scientists were able to collect data on the frequency of violent interactions, the protagonists involved, and whether it involved physical contact (biting, hitting …) or simply charging a rival.
Surprisingly, the researchers found that male bonobos had 2.8 times more aggressive interactions than chimpanzees, and 3 times more physical altercations.
“This is the main discovery of this study,” according to Maud Mouginot of Boston University. “The other is that we observed that bonobo males who are more aggressive than their conspecifics mate more” with females during the ovulation period.
One-on-one altercations
Bonobo males were almost exclusively aggressive towards other males, while chimpanzee males were more likely to attack females.
Both of these results were expected. Female bonobos are often in a dominant position in their group, and form alliances to stop isolated males who might attempt to mate with them. Males therefore have little interest in confronting them.
Conversely, chimpanzee societies are dominated by males, and it is they who ally themselves, forcing females into sexual relations or punishing adversaries who oppose their authority.
The fact that disputes between bonobos often take place between two individuals, rather than between an individual and a group, might explain why these altercations occur more frequently, according to Maud Mouginot, because the stakes are lower. Bonobos are not known to kill each other.
On the other hand, chimpanzee altercations involve several males, and can result in casualties. They can take place either within their own group, or during fights once morest rival groups to defend their territory. These higher risks might limit the frequency of these fights.
As for why bonobo males are less successful with females: “it is possible that aggressive males can spend more time with females”, by keeping rivals away, according to Maud Mouginot. But confirming this hypothesis would require additional research.
The researcher is also skeptical regarding a possible comparison with humans and the idea that the bosses would appeal more to women. She points out that female bonobos do not tolerate attacks from males directed once morest them — although it remains possible that they are attracted when these attacks are directed at others.
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