Major
Anthropology
Second Major
Spanish
Minor(s)
Political Science
Advisor
Dunsworth, Holly
Advisor Department
Sociology and Anthropology
Date
5-2023
Keywords
Primates; Anthropology; Sociosexual behaviors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Abstract
We share 99% of our DNA with bonobos (Pan paniscus) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), which are also very closely related to each other, sharing a last common ancestor about one million years ago. Both of them are more closely related to humans than either of them is to gorillas or orangutans. Because of our close evolutionary connections, chimpanzees and bonobos serve as models for our ancestors, and as windows into our ancient past and “human nature.” Other than being similar in appearance, chimps and bonobos are very social, living and cooperating in groups. But their differences have long been emphasized. While chimps are sexually aggressive bonobos are known as the peaceful ones, mainly due to their frequent sexual behaviors including frequent same-sex bouts. While chimp sexual behavior is explained as being driven by reproductive needs, up to 75% of bonobo sexual behavior occurs within the same sex, so pleasure-seeking, social bonding, and peace-making are the explanations. Differences in chimpanzee and bonobo sexual behaviors have attracted the attention of evolutionary scientists who have linked the chimpanzee ways to their male dominance hierarchy and the bonobo ways to their egalitarian social organization. This analysis has factored heavily into discussions about the evolutionary origins of humankind’s global patriarchy. But if we remove the anthropomorphism, as I do here, our understanding of chimp and bonobo sociosexual behaviors changes, which transforms not only how we perceive them but also how we apply those perceptions to making sense of ourselves. By digging into the research and analyzing assumptions and misconceptions held by some primatologists which have permeated public opinion, a space for further reconsideration and research regarding chimp and bonobo sociosexual behavior emerges in which they are not treated as opposites or as a means to our own understanding of ourselves.