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Bonobos: Die zärtlichen Menschenaffen
Zwei weltbekannte Experten auf ihrem Gebiet, der Primatologe Frans de Waal und der Photograph Frans Lanting, haben sich zusammengefunden, um dem Bonobo, diesem wunderbaren und uns so ähnlichen Menschenaffen, ein Denkmal zu setzen. Erstmalig wird einer interessierten Öffentlichkeit das Sozialleben der Bonobos ausführlich vorgestellt. Hochaktuelle Informationen und exklusive Photoessays erlauben seltene Einblicken in das Leben dieser Menschenaffen in ihrer Heimat, den entlegen Regenwäldern Afrikas.
Hardcover
First published April 23, 1997
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About the author
Frans de Waal
47 books1,754 followersFrans de Waal has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. The author of Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?, among many other works, he is the C. H. Candler Professor in Emory University’s Psychology Department and director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
September 8, 2022
Aug 2022 My edition was switched to Bonobos: Die zärtlichen Menschenaffen. Why was this? Who made this the default edition? Was this some German librarian making German books the default? The original book was written in English by an English-speaking author. Then to add insult to injury (always like a good cliche) I went to the new book page to change it and found that I couldn't see any other editions, or if they are there couldn't find them.
I like my bookshelves to reflect the edition I read especially if it is a book I own.
As far as the book is concerned, it is the only one of Frans de Waal that I really do like. The Ape and the Sushi Master: Reflections of a Primatologist was ok but tainted by my knowledge (I didn't really look up the author when I read Bonobos) that he had been a Nazi, writing on his application form, "I'm able to say that my whole scientific work is devoted to the ideas of the National Socialists," changing his tune after Germany lost WWII but his hero remained the appalling, but brilliant, Konrad Lorenz who proposed that creatures of a lesser breed should be exterminated. I'm repeating myself now. It's all in Ape and the Sushi Master if you are interested.
Not long ago I read Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal and I couldn't get his Nazi allegiance out of my head. It also seemed to be misogynistic which didn't add to it's appeal at all.
Come to think of it, maybe a German edition is suited to this 'ex' Nazi, author despite him writing the book in English.
I like my bookshelves to reflect the edition I read especially if it is a book I own.
As far as the book is concerned, it is the only one of Frans de Waal that I really do like. The Ape and the Sushi Master: Reflections of a Primatologist was ok but tainted by my knowledge (I didn't really look up the author when I read Bonobos) that he had been a Nazi, writing on his application form, "I'm able to say that my whole scientific work is devoted to the ideas of the National Socialists," changing his tune after Germany lost WWII but his hero remained the appalling, but brilliant, Konrad Lorenz who proposed that creatures of a lesser breed should be exterminated. I'm repeating myself now. It's all in Ape and the Sushi Master if you are interested.
Not long ago I read Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal and I couldn't get his Nazi allegiance out of my head. It also seemed to be misogynistic which didn't add to it's appeal at all.
Come to think of it, maybe a German edition is suited to this 'ex' Nazi, author despite him writing the book in English.
January 16, 2016
I used to prefer bonobos over chimpanzees, but now I think I prefer chimpanzees. This is because the matriarchy freaks me out. Females using sex to take oranges from unwitting males? Females teaming up to keep the males divided? Females banding together to bite males' fingers off? As a primate male of the decidedly non-alpha variety, I do not approve of this kind of behavior. Then again, life would be way worse as a chimp, maybe, but at least in a chimp world, I would likely be higher up the social latter based on my gender. In the bonobo world, I'd be subservient to the ladies AND the dominant males. Okay, I would rather be a chimp, in spite of the violence.
January 23, 2010
The bonobo is overthrowing established notions about where we came from and what our behavioral potential is. Without this ape, traditional evolutionary scenarios emphasizing human aggressivity, hunting, and warfare would no doubt have continued to dominate the discussion, despite the fact that our species possesses a multitude of other defining characteristics relating to language, culture, morality, and family structure. Even though the bonobo is not our ancestor, but perhaps a rather specialized relative, its female-centered, nonbelligerent society is putting question marks all over the hypothesized evolutionary map of our species. (160)
March 24, 2015
In the family of life, humankind’s two closest living relatives are bonobos and chimpanzees, two apes with strikingly different approaches to living. Ninety-eight percent of our DNA is the same as theirs. These three intelligent cousins share a common ancestor that lived five to seven million years ago. In his book, Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape, primatologist Frans de Waal does a superb job of comparing the three cousins, and the photos of Frans Lanting are fantastic.
In Africa, chimps far outnumber bonobos, and inhabit a larger territory. The two never meet in the wild, because apes cannot swim, and the Zaire River keeps them apart. Both reside in dense tropical rainforests, and both sleep in the trees. They are similar in appearance, and it wasn’t until 1929 that scientists realized that bonobos and chimps were different species.
Bonobos are lucky to live in a dense and rugged rainforest that is difficult for humans to get to, explore, and destroy. Researchers can spend many days thrashing around in the foliage, completely unaware that a group of bonobos is silently looking down at them from the thick canopy above. Bonobos were not studied in the wild until the mid-1970s, and research was interrupted from 1994 to 2003, by a civil war that claimed three million lives. Chimps, on the other hand, had been known and studied for a long time.
During the twentieth century, industrial warfare brutally exterminated millions of humans. For some reason, it became trendy to perceive humans as inherently violent. Chimps were seen in a similar light, because of their resemblance to industrial humans. Once, when two chimp groups came into contact, researchers observed the brutal massacre of the weaker group.
De Waal offered this insight on male chimps: “Their cooperative, action-packed existence resembles that of the human males who, in modern society, team up with other males in corporations within which they compete while collectively fighting other corporations.”
Chimps and civilized humans typically live in groups dominated by alpha males who actively subdue their rivals. Females are second-class. When an alpha male chimp reaches retirement age, and is clobbered by a vigorous young upstart, the new alpha often kills the old fellow’s young offspring, so their mothers can promptly begin producing offspring with his genes. Because of this, females with young tend to go off and forage alone, avoiding contact with the bloody stud and his buddies.
Bonobos look a lot like chimps, but live very differently. Bonobo groups are matriarchal, and males are second-class. Females determine how food is shared, and they eat while the males wait. Chimps have sex only when a female is fertile. Bonobos have sex almost anytime, several times a day, with anyone interested, young or old, in every imaginable way.
The genitals of female bonobos become enormously swollen when they are receptive to sexual delights. They are receptive almost half of the time, whilst being fertile for just a few days. Non-reproductive sex is an excellent way to defuse conflicts, keep everyone relaxed, and have a pleasant day. Because everyone has sex with everyone, paternity is impossible to determine. Therefore, male bonobos do not kill infants, because any infant might be their offspring.
Hominids have taken a third path, the nuclear family. Long ago, with the arrival of the chilly glacial era, the rainforests we evolved in came close to disappearing. Our ancestors shifted outside the forest. The nuclear family was an adaptation for surviving on the open savannah. Hominid offspring benefitted when their mothers and fathers lived together and cooperated. Tightly knit groups of aggressive hominids could successfully kill game and fend off predators. The strongest, fiercest males were more likely to survive and reproduce, so natural selection favored these traits.
Promiscuity was discouraged, because males did not want to spend their lives raising a rival’s offspring. Thus, the nuclear family reduced the reproductive freedom of females, via moral constraints. Hominid societies have probably been male-dominated from the start. Male control further increased with the shift to sedentary living, and the accumulation of property. Males wanted their life savings to be inherited by their own offspring. This led to an obsession with virginity and chastity, and the prickly patriarchal mindset.
Civilized societies have developed patriarchal cultures. “With a few notable exceptions, such as spotted hyenas and the lemurs of Madagascar, male dominance is the standard mammalian pattern.” Chimps follow this pattern but, to the great delight of feminists, the discovery of female-dominant bonobo society has presented a less macho alternative. So, who are humans? De Waal says that humans are in the middle, between the two poles — both aggressive and empathetic.
Why are chimps and bonobos so different? Both have low birth rates, and nurse their young for four or five years. Bonobos live in a habitat with abundant food, and no serious competitors in their ecological niche, an ideal situation. Chimps live in leaner lands, and compete for food with gorillas and baboons. They feel the squeeze of crowding, and they reduce this pressure by infanticide, and by killing competitors. Infanticide is common in many species, including lions, prairie dogs, mice, chimps, and gorillas.
We live in an era of extinctions, and the numbers of chimps and bonobos are in sharp decline, as their human cousins relentlessly expand. Diamond miners, loggers, bush meat hunters, and war refugees continue pushing into their habitat.
De Waal appeared in a fascinating documentary, The Last Great Ape. It includes many scenes of bonobos living in the wild. We see them enjoying a pleasant life — eating fruit, having sex, climbing trees, playing, having sex, grooming each other, nursing. In one scene, viewers look down from a plane zooming over the jungle, and the narrator says, “This part of the forest is like a time capsule; bonobos may have existed here in much the same way for two million years.” Wow!
Viewers see animals that look like our ancestors, live like our ancestors, and still inhabit the region where our species originated. The bonobos have obviously remained far more stable over two million years than humans have, because they enjoy good luck and just enough intelligence to live well in their niche. When I contemplate the era of my 62-year life, and the skyrocketing destruction caused by humankind, it breaks my heart — and mindlessly killing the planet doesn’t even make us happy. Big brains do not guarantee long-term stability and ecological sustainability.
Patriarchal chimps have also succeeded in living for two million years, in the same region, in a stable manner. While they rudely offend our humanist and feminist sensibilities, they have evolved a way of living that is thousand times less destructive than that of the humanists and feminists in our insane society.
This raises an embarrassing question. Exactly how did we benefit from complex language, literacy, technology, domestication, agriculture, civilization, and industrialization?
In Africa, chimps far outnumber bonobos, and inhabit a larger territory. The two never meet in the wild, because apes cannot swim, and the Zaire River keeps them apart. Both reside in dense tropical rainforests, and both sleep in the trees. They are similar in appearance, and it wasn’t until 1929 that scientists realized that bonobos and chimps were different species.
Bonobos are lucky to live in a dense and rugged rainforest that is difficult for humans to get to, explore, and destroy. Researchers can spend many days thrashing around in the foliage, completely unaware that a group of bonobos is silently looking down at them from the thick canopy above. Bonobos were not studied in the wild until the mid-1970s, and research was interrupted from 1994 to 2003, by a civil war that claimed three million lives. Chimps, on the other hand, had been known and studied for a long time.
During the twentieth century, industrial warfare brutally exterminated millions of humans. For some reason, it became trendy to perceive humans as inherently violent. Chimps were seen in a similar light, because of their resemblance to industrial humans. Once, when two chimp groups came into contact, researchers observed the brutal massacre of the weaker group.
De Waal offered this insight on male chimps: “Their cooperative, action-packed existence resembles that of the human males who, in modern society, team up with other males in corporations within which they compete while collectively fighting other corporations.”
Chimps and civilized humans typically live in groups dominated by alpha males who actively subdue their rivals. Females are second-class. When an alpha male chimp reaches retirement age, and is clobbered by a vigorous young upstart, the new alpha often kills the old fellow’s young offspring, so their mothers can promptly begin producing offspring with his genes. Because of this, females with young tend to go off and forage alone, avoiding contact with the bloody stud and his buddies.
Bonobos look a lot like chimps, but live very differently. Bonobo groups are matriarchal, and males are second-class. Females determine how food is shared, and they eat while the males wait. Chimps have sex only when a female is fertile. Bonobos have sex almost anytime, several times a day, with anyone interested, young or old, in every imaginable way.
The genitals of female bonobos become enormously swollen when they are receptive to sexual delights. They are receptive almost half of the time, whilst being fertile for just a few days. Non-reproductive sex is an excellent way to defuse conflicts, keep everyone relaxed, and have a pleasant day. Because everyone has sex with everyone, paternity is impossible to determine. Therefore, male bonobos do not kill infants, because any infant might be their offspring.
Hominids have taken a third path, the nuclear family. Long ago, with the arrival of the chilly glacial era, the rainforests we evolved in came close to disappearing. Our ancestors shifted outside the forest. The nuclear family was an adaptation for surviving on the open savannah. Hominid offspring benefitted when their mothers and fathers lived together and cooperated. Tightly knit groups of aggressive hominids could successfully kill game and fend off predators. The strongest, fiercest males were more likely to survive and reproduce, so natural selection favored these traits.
Promiscuity was discouraged, because males did not want to spend their lives raising a rival’s offspring. Thus, the nuclear family reduced the reproductive freedom of females, via moral constraints. Hominid societies have probably been male-dominated from the start. Male control further increased with the shift to sedentary living, and the accumulation of property. Males wanted their life savings to be inherited by their own offspring. This led to an obsession with virginity and chastity, and the prickly patriarchal mindset.
Civilized societies have developed patriarchal cultures. “With a few notable exceptions, such as spotted hyenas and the lemurs of Madagascar, male dominance is the standard mammalian pattern.” Chimps follow this pattern but, to the great delight of feminists, the discovery of female-dominant bonobo society has presented a less macho alternative. So, who are humans? De Waal says that humans are in the middle, between the two poles — both aggressive and empathetic.
Why are chimps and bonobos so different? Both have low birth rates, and nurse their young for four or five years. Bonobos live in a habitat with abundant food, and no serious competitors in their ecological niche, an ideal situation. Chimps live in leaner lands, and compete for food with gorillas and baboons. They feel the squeeze of crowding, and they reduce this pressure by infanticide, and by killing competitors. Infanticide is common in many species, including lions, prairie dogs, mice, chimps, and gorillas.
We live in an era of extinctions, and the numbers of chimps and bonobos are in sharp decline, as their human cousins relentlessly expand. Diamond miners, loggers, bush meat hunters, and war refugees continue pushing into their habitat.
De Waal appeared in a fascinating documentary, The Last Great Ape. It includes many scenes of bonobos living in the wild. We see them enjoying a pleasant life — eating fruit, having sex, climbing trees, playing, having sex, grooming each other, nursing. In one scene, viewers look down from a plane zooming over the jungle, and the narrator says, “This part of the forest is like a time capsule; bonobos may have existed here in much the same way for two million years.” Wow!
Viewers see animals that look like our ancestors, live like our ancestors, and still inhabit the region where our species originated. The bonobos have obviously remained far more stable over two million years than humans have, because they enjoy good luck and just enough intelligence to live well in their niche. When I contemplate the era of my 62-year life, and the skyrocketing destruction caused by humankind, it breaks my heart — and mindlessly killing the planet doesn’t even make us happy. Big brains do not guarantee long-term stability and ecological sustainability.
Patriarchal chimps have also succeeded in living for two million years, in the same region, in a stable manner. While they rudely offend our humanist and feminist sensibilities, they have evolved a way of living that is thousand times less destructive than that of the humanists and feminists in our insane society.
This raises an embarrassing question. Exactly how did we benefit from complex language, literacy, technology, domestication, agriculture, civilization, and industrialization?
November 2, 2025
Zeer leerzaam en prachtige foto's
December 4, 2020
The Bonobos are, as the subtitle explains, “the forgotten ape.” Although as closely related to us as the more commonly known chimpanzee, not nearly as much is known about the bonobo.
What is known, though, is fascinating. Whereas the chimpanzee is male dominated and marked by violent struggles for alpha status as well as wars against other tribes of chimpanzees, the bonobos are matriarchal (I would argue mother-son dominated) and use sex to settle many of their differences.
De Waal does a good job reminding readers not to overly idealize or humanize the bonobos. Not nearly as much is known about them, so many questions remain.
Of course, the big question is why are bonobos so different than chimpanzees? It is not simply a matter of bonobos being “nicer” or more “empathetic.” De Waal points to environmental and social factors which resulted in their unique society and method of conflict resolution:
- A wealth of food/resources reduces the “every man for himself” dynamic and empowers the females.
- Bonding among females allows them to create alliances.
- Females are receptive to sex more often, diluting competition among males.
- Confused parentage means male bonobos do not know which youngster are theirs.
Human society is so different, De Waal explains, because we most likely evolved in a much harsher environment that gave evolutionary advantage to males knowing their offspring and supporting the raising of their children with the mothers. (Bonobo and chimp males are almost completely uninvolved with the raising of children.)
This is a beautiful book with luscious and moving photography. I worry that it may be getting a bit old – almost 25 years now -- and could be out of date. However, it is an excellent introduction to the bonobos species and their alternative society. De Waal's Chimpanzee Politics is a must read.
What is known, though, is fascinating. Whereas the chimpanzee is male dominated and marked by violent struggles for alpha status as well as wars against other tribes of chimpanzees, the bonobos are matriarchal (I would argue mother-son dominated) and use sex to settle many of their differences.
De Waal does a good job reminding readers not to overly idealize or humanize the bonobos. Not nearly as much is known about them, so many questions remain.
Of course, the big question is why are bonobos so different than chimpanzees? It is not simply a matter of bonobos being “nicer” or more “empathetic.” De Waal points to environmental and social factors which resulted in their unique society and method of conflict resolution:
- A wealth of food/resources reduces the “every man for himself” dynamic and empowers the females.
- Bonding among females allows them to create alliances.
- Females are receptive to sex more often, diluting competition among males.
- Confused parentage means male bonobos do not know which youngster are theirs.
Human society is so different, De Waal explains, because we most likely evolved in a much harsher environment that gave evolutionary advantage to males knowing their offspring and supporting the raising of their children with the mothers. (Bonobo and chimp males are almost completely uninvolved with the raising of children.)
This is a beautiful book with luscious and moving photography. I worry that it may be getting a bit old – almost 25 years now -- and could be out of date. However, it is an excellent introduction to the bonobos species and their alternative society. De Waal's Chimpanzee Politics is a must read.
November 18, 2011
I cannot imagine a better place to begin learning about Bonobos than this book. It is written in layman's terms and is accompanied by some exquisite photography. This book will set you on your way to exploring more of this "forgotten ape." The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars was the book's short length (less than 200 pages with a lot of pictures). Solidly recommended for anyone interested in human evolution, primatology, or human psychology.
April 16, 2022
Primatology is a fascinating field and trove of information on our own evolutionary history. A lot of this book focuses on important discoveries in the social and behavioral insights into the Bonobo, an oft neglected great ape due to their previously misidentification as chimpanzees.
As Humans, Chimpanzees, and Bonobos are all equally genetically distant from each other (all branching away at relatively the same time with the same 98% genetic similarity) most of this book seeks to compare Bonobo and Chimpanzee social behavior since they contrast so readily. Chimpanzees are male dominated and more prone to aggressive mediation in their social structure while Bonobos feature female domination and more extensive means of avoiding internal group conflict through the heavy implementation of sex.
Sexual mediation is interestingly used in all sex combinations from male-male, female-female, and of course male-female. Unlike Chimpanzees and more like humans it is innately tied to pleasure evidenced by individual masturbation and performed even while they are not fertile. It is believed that the elongation of this sexual window such that sex occurs for much more of their active lifespan that it plays such a critical social role. Increased sex drives and same sex sexual acts help form greater female bonding and obscure paternity thereby reducing male aggression like instances of infanticide in other species of apes, and allow for a stable matriarchy of bonded females to prevent alpha males from reigning. Similar to the reconciliation found in the chimpanzees through grooming and hugging/kissing the Bonobos have extended it to more nuanced sexual acts with a flexibility in position that matches our own species. This is used to calm competitiveness when it comes to food distribution and mating.
This does not mean there is no competition or aggression but it can be channeled and reigned in through these sexual acts. Domination and alpha status still exist among the sexes with alphas and betas but aggressive tendencies are significantly reduced. Female bonding is unique only to the Bonobos and to humans but humans still seem to be distinct in that the childrearing and socialization practice is largely confined between mother and son in the Bonobo whereas in humans both parents often contribute to both sexes of offspring.
This is very evident in the Bonobo by their almost abandonment of female offspring which have evolved in such a way to almost naturally cut themselves off socially to prevent incest pairings. They undergo a period of reduced sex drive that eventually causes them to drift from their parental troop. I find this quite interesting because the female Bonobos are the ones to migrate to new groups at adolescence yet still maintain female dominance. This contrasts with part of human history in which patrilocality (female moving to the male) is thought to have contributed to recent male domination in our social development. The females move to essentially strangers but still maintain dominance over the males. Dominance in this sense also means first access to food, due to their other means of social reconciliation it rarely requires open violence to enforce. Most often aggressive displays in males are just entirely ignored.
Anyways I would definitely recommend this book if you are interested in Bonobos! It can be a little difficult to find as it was never made into a digital copy. However an enterprising individual may have recently made it available if you know where to look. Message me if you cannot find it.
As Humans, Chimpanzees, and Bonobos are all equally genetically distant from each other (all branching away at relatively the same time with the same 98% genetic similarity) most of this book seeks to compare Bonobo and Chimpanzee social behavior since they contrast so readily. Chimpanzees are male dominated and more prone to aggressive mediation in their social structure while Bonobos feature female domination and more extensive means of avoiding internal group conflict through the heavy implementation of sex.
Sexual mediation is interestingly used in all sex combinations from male-male, female-female, and of course male-female. Unlike Chimpanzees and more like humans it is innately tied to pleasure evidenced by individual masturbation and performed even while they are not fertile. It is believed that the elongation of this sexual window such that sex occurs for much more of their active lifespan that it plays such a critical social role. Increased sex drives and same sex sexual acts help form greater female bonding and obscure paternity thereby reducing male aggression like instances of infanticide in other species of apes, and allow for a stable matriarchy of bonded females to prevent alpha males from reigning. Similar to the reconciliation found in the chimpanzees through grooming and hugging/kissing the Bonobos have extended it to more nuanced sexual acts with a flexibility in position that matches our own species. This is used to calm competitiveness when it comes to food distribution and mating.
This does not mean there is no competition or aggression but it can be channeled and reigned in through these sexual acts. Domination and alpha status still exist among the sexes with alphas and betas but aggressive tendencies are significantly reduced. Female bonding is unique only to the Bonobos and to humans but humans still seem to be distinct in that the childrearing and socialization practice is largely confined between mother and son in the Bonobo whereas in humans both parents often contribute to both sexes of offspring.
This is very evident in the Bonobo by their almost abandonment of female offspring which have evolved in such a way to almost naturally cut themselves off socially to prevent incest pairings. They undergo a period of reduced sex drive that eventually causes them to drift from their parental troop. I find this quite interesting because the female Bonobos are the ones to migrate to new groups at adolescence yet still maintain female dominance. This contrasts with part of human history in which patrilocality (female moving to the male) is thought to have contributed to recent male domination in our social development. The females move to essentially strangers but still maintain dominance over the males. Dominance in this sense also means first access to food, due to their other means of social reconciliation it rarely requires open violence to enforce. Most often aggressive displays in males are just entirely ignored.
Anyways I would definitely recommend this book if you are interested in Bonobos! It can be a little difficult to find as it was never made into a digital copy. However an enterprising individual may have recently made it available if you know where to look. Message me if you cannot find it.
June 23, 2007
I'm a bonobo in a predominantly chimpanzee society, and that's why I really love this book. But beyond that...
This book is a great introduction to bonobo culture. Unlike their patriarchial, agressive cousins the chimpanzees, bonobos are peaceful, sexual society in which females hold a substantial amount of power. They have sex for pleasure and to settle conflicts and make friends. Same-sex pairings are as common as both sexes. Gender roles are much less extreme than in chimpanzee culture. Both females and males hunt, and although females do hold the power, the society is fairly egaltarian. Given that we share so much genetic material with these amazing creatures - as much as we share with chimpanzees - we have so much to learn from them. Not only do they disabuse us of the notion that patriarchy is the "proper order of things," but they also illustrate a very unique social structure. Understanding how such a different power and cultural structure comes about would be very informative to humans who frequently can't see past the end of their own collective nose. Also, LOVELY graphics.
This book is a great introduction to bonobo culture. Unlike their patriarchial, agressive cousins the chimpanzees, bonobos are peaceful, sexual society in which females hold a substantial amount of power. They have sex for pleasure and to settle conflicts and make friends. Same-sex pairings are as common as both sexes. Gender roles are much less extreme than in chimpanzee culture. Both females and males hunt, and although females do hold the power, the society is fairly egaltarian. Given that we share so much genetic material with these amazing creatures - as much as we share with chimpanzees - we have so much to learn from them. Not only do they disabuse us of the notion that patriarchy is the "proper order of things," but they also illustrate a very unique social structure. Understanding how such a different power and cultural structure comes about would be very informative to humans who frequently can't see past the end of their own collective nose. Also, LOVELY graphics.
October 22, 2015
This is a fascinating, beautifully illustrated book about the little-known ape species called bonobos. Frans de Waal's text is more scientific than I expected (but not too scientific for the layperson); it is also engaging and full of compelling details. The unusual aspects of bonobo culture and behavior (for example, matriarchal groups and frequent resolution of disputes by sex rather than violence) are explored thoroughly, including the presentation of multiple explanatory theories. Comparisons between bonobo and human arrangements are also interesting, but de Waal emphasizes repeatedly that while bonobos, chimpanzees, and humans share a common ancestor, neither bonobos nor chimpanzees are OUR ancestor.
Fritz Lanting's photographs are stunning. This is a beautiful book. Highly recommended; my only reservation would be that there is probably more up-to-date information available elsewhere--this book was published 18 years ago.
Fritz Lanting's photographs are stunning. This is a beautiful book. Highly recommended; my only reservation would be that there is probably more up-to-date information available elsewhere--this book was published 18 years ago.
January 23, 2015
Interesting read. Lots of fascinating comparisons between bonobos, chimps and humans. A little too much self-important views on religion, which were mildly irritating but not enough to spoil the book as a whole.
April 12, 2014
Clear and quite informative. Gives fascinating, specific insights into the birth of human communication and behavior.
June 7, 2022
Why am I so excited about this book? Why was it delightful to me? All my life I have been kinda like a nun sexually. I kinda avoid this topic because I am a prude and very shy. I concluded a long time ago that relationships and sex are just not my thing. I used to see sex as Peterson puts it, dangerous emotionally, physically, and psychologically. Maybe I am too shy and sensitive, maybe I am hypersensitive, and being is just not for me. But I realized that our ancestors were much more like chimpanzees…I mean we kill one another, really we are in danger because The Third Nuclear World War might start. I mean, there have always been wars between people, crimes, etc. A chimp-like ancestor who is political, with males who occasionally kill one another for power and to become the alpha male, who kill chimpanzees from other groups, therefore xenophobic and who wage war is the right fit. Just like the chimp, it was patriarchal and well, you know females were kept in check. This is the problem…
Oh, how different is the bonobo…This elegant-looking ape solved its problems with grace and style. “The chimpanzee resolves sexual issues with power; the bonobo resolves power issues with sex.” I mean how can you not love them, they are the smartest animal in the whole world. No wonder the leftists adore them…All feminists and gays must worship them… I do so too. If our ancestor was like a bonobo, there would be no wars now. Just orgies and sex between strangers every 1 hour and a half. No war, in our entire history, males were kept in check, and females were having an awesome time, so no need for feminism, no wives murdered by their husbands, no women killed by strangers, no nothing. Heaven. Oh, why wasn’t it like this?
For me, the Bonobo represents a sexual awakening. Now I understand that if we were sexual like the Bonobo, smart like them, solving our power issues with sex, we would live in a happy world now, not one where I have insomnia because I fear Putin so much. Bonobos are our intelligent cousins, who we should have been. Now I listen to Ariana Grande on and on, to me, she is also a Bonobo, she is so cute and her songs are always so sexy and she is a vegan, yes she’s just another Bonobo, indeed.
Bonobos eyes are so sensitive and emotional. I love them... Kanzi is also a Bonobo, and how smart he is!!!
I love this book!!!
Ok, now after finishing the book I've got to add something... Even though I am not a saint I mean I eat eggs and milk and fish, so still a murderer, I don't understand how can those people eat chimps and bonobos... WTF!!! It's like eating humans. It's actually the same thing... Scary man... We live in such a shitty world. I don't wish not even upon my worst enemy to be born in this dimension. No shit. It's scary. Everything it's scary. Every day I go to sleep praying there will be no other life here on Earth, may reincarnation NOT exist, because it is terrible here. I can barely live this life until the end (and it is a good life, no war, no anything), just imagining endless lives here in this mysterious universe drives me insane. Oh please, no. No. How about no. I hope when we die we just fucking die and that's it. Game over. Thank goodness. And the poor bonobos so cute and lovely and nonviolent and sensitive and empathic and and just perfect are eaten...this place is HELL!!! Someone get me out of here.
Now, don't get me wrong... I understand that those africans don't have what to eat, but it's their fault they breed so much...If you are poor you don't make kids. That's the way. And I am not a bitch for lecturing people. I am also very poor, there are days I don't have money to buy myself water, but if you are poor why are you bringing that poor creature into being, you have nothing to offer them, nothing, just because you cannot control your sexual impulses you puke babies with no future...I won't have children, because I hate it here, and because I will be poor (because I wasn't smart enough in school) and I am mentally ill, so I don't understand why others are doing it, especially when they themselves are uneducated and poor and will force their child to be uneducated and poor because social climbing actually is rare...poor parents give birth to guess what? poor future adults. wtf man, wtf. Those people, I am sorry, if they cannot control their sexual impulses are no different than the chimps and bonobos they eat. Well...I will end it here... because I don't want to sound eugenicist but you know I am right. If you are so poor that you don't even have what to eat, you shouldn't make children in this world. Period. I don't care. I spoke my mind. I don't care if I sound evil.
Oh, how different is the bonobo…This elegant-looking ape solved its problems with grace and style. “The chimpanzee resolves sexual issues with power; the bonobo resolves power issues with sex.” I mean how can you not love them, they are the smartest animal in the whole world. No wonder the leftists adore them…All feminists and gays must worship them… I do so too. If our ancestor was like a bonobo, there would be no wars now. Just orgies and sex between strangers every 1 hour and a half. No war, in our entire history, males were kept in check, and females were having an awesome time, so no need for feminism, no wives murdered by their husbands, no women killed by strangers, no nothing. Heaven. Oh, why wasn’t it like this?
For me, the Bonobo represents a sexual awakening. Now I understand that if we were sexual like the Bonobo, smart like them, solving our power issues with sex, we would live in a happy world now, not one where I have insomnia because I fear Putin so much. Bonobos are our intelligent cousins, who we should have been. Now I listen to Ariana Grande on and on, to me, she is also a Bonobo, she is so cute and her songs are always so sexy and she is a vegan, yes she’s just another Bonobo, indeed.
Bonobos eyes are so sensitive and emotional. I love them... Kanzi is also a Bonobo, and how smart he is!!!
I love this book!!!
Ok, now after finishing the book I've got to add something... Even though I am not a saint I mean I eat eggs and milk and fish, so still a murderer, I don't understand how can those people eat chimps and bonobos... WTF!!! It's like eating humans. It's actually the same thing... Scary man... We live in such a shitty world. I don't wish not even upon my worst enemy to be born in this dimension. No shit. It's scary. Everything it's scary. Every day I go to sleep praying there will be no other life here on Earth, may reincarnation NOT exist, because it is terrible here. I can barely live this life until the end (and it is a good life, no war, no anything), just imagining endless lives here in this mysterious universe drives me insane. Oh please, no. No. How about no. I hope when we die we just fucking die and that's it. Game over. Thank goodness. And the poor bonobos so cute and lovely and nonviolent and sensitive and empathic and and just perfect are eaten...this place is HELL!!! Someone get me out of here.
Now, don't get me wrong... I understand that those africans don't have what to eat, but it's their fault they breed so much...If you are poor you don't make kids. That's the way. And I am not a bitch for lecturing people. I am also very poor, there are days I don't have money to buy myself water, but if you are poor why are you bringing that poor creature into being, you have nothing to offer them, nothing, just because you cannot control your sexual impulses you puke babies with no future...I won't have children, because I hate it here, and because I will be poor (because I wasn't smart enough in school) and I am mentally ill, so I don't understand why others are doing it, especially when they themselves are uneducated and poor and will force their child to be uneducated and poor because social climbing actually is rare...poor parents give birth to guess what? poor future adults. wtf man, wtf. Those people, I am sorry, if they cannot control their sexual impulses are no different than the chimps and bonobos they eat. Well...I will end it here... because I don't want to sound eugenicist but you know I am right. If you are so poor that you don't even have what to eat, you shouldn't make children in this world. Period. I don't care. I spoke my mind. I don't care if I sound evil.
March 19, 2024
2.5 stars
bonobos are incredibly interesting and if you wanna learn about them (especially the social & sexual dynamics) this is a decent choice
negative:
- i generally don't like his style of writing, also in his other book, 'our inner ape'.
- i found it kinda unstructured, sometimes random intersections in the chapters that are detours from the topic they're about, but then doesn't explain the questions that come up about the claims he makes (even more so in the other book),
- his chapter titles are very undescriptive
- both books are also strongly focused on gender dynamics and he seems to put a lot of his own, poorly backed opinions about the implications for humans into it without presenting differing views, and presents them in a way as if they're as objective as what he writes about bonobos. this made me trust him less and was a bit frustrating to read due to the subtle misogyny. so I'd take that with a big grain of salt and not be fooled by his overconfident writing style
positive:
- you do learn a lot about bonobos + a bit about chimpanzees (and with that possibly human nature)
- I read it in one go because it was so interesting
- I liked that he included short interviews and pictures
- also as there is not that much information on the topic out there, so I appreciate his contribution
bonobos are incredibly interesting and if you wanna learn about them (especially the social & sexual dynamics) this is a decent choice
negative:
- i generally don't like his style of writing, also in his other book, 'our inner ape'.
- i found it kinda unstructured, sometimes random intersections in the chapters that are detours from the topic they're about, but then doesn't explain the questions that come up about the claims he makes (even more so in the other book),
- his chapter titles are very undescriptive
- both books are also strongly focused on gender dynamics and he seems to put a lot of his own, poorly backed opinions about the implications for humans into it without presenting differing views, and presents them in a way as if they're as objective as what he writes about bonobos. this made me trust him less and was a bit frustrating to read due to the subtle misogyny. so I'd take that with a big grain of salt and not be fooled by his overconfident writing style
positive:
- you do learn a lot about bonobos + a bit about chimpanzees (and with that possibly human nature)
- I read it in one go because it was so interesting
- I liked that he included short interviews and pictures
- also as there is not that much information on the topic out there, so I appreciate his contribution
September 25, 2017
Gives more insight into human social behaviour than many social science texts. Importantly, Bonobo's have democracy and complex social organisation (If we define democracy as Popper, "the ability to remove a leader without bloodshed")
June 15, 2018
4 1/4 stars
January 10, 2020
Yay for a bonobo future!
September 20, 2022
Primatologist Frans de Waal and wildlife photographer Frans Lanting offer information and gorgeous photos of this ape that was only recognized as a new species in the last century.
September 12, 2024
i LOVE bonobos and this book taught me a lot about every aspect of bonobo life
February 7, 2017
Really enjoyed this. I've been meaning to read it about since it came out; sorry I waited so long. Very interesting compare-and-contrast discussions of bonobos vs. chimpanzees, bonobos vs. us, and chimps vs. us, especially as concerns male-female relationships within each group, male-female dominance issues, and evolutionary divergence. Lots of great photos. Immense dedication by the various long-term researchers in the field.
Not marking this review for spoilers since it's nonfiction.
I knew beforehand that bonobos had a mainly matriarchal society and that they used sex to diffuse tensions (and had sex for fun rather than just for procreation) but not much more than that. I didn't know that people used to think bonobos were a type of chimp. I didn't know how different they were from chimps in temperament and voice and tool use. I didn't realize their territories didn't really overlap with those of chimps or orangutans or gorillas - or that bonobos are mostly in one large area bounded by rivers. I didn't know how few bonobos there were in the wild or at zoos. I didn't know the extent to which bonobos used sex (sexual overtures, more accurately, in some cases) as part of everyday social interactions and negotiations, or how they went about it. I didn't know how difficult the bonobos' native territory was to access, or how often they came across people. I didn't know that some researchers put food out for bonobos to acclimate them to the scientists' presence, while others don't, or the differences in bonobo behavior resulting from those different approaches. All of the topics in this book were very interesting.
Now I need to find out what they've learned about bonobos since this book was published, especially now that genealogical and other DNA testing has gotten so popular!
Not marking this review for spoilers since it's nonfiction.
I knew beforehand that bonobos had a mainly matriarchal society and that they used sex to diffuse tensions (and had sex for fun rather than just for procreation) but not much more than that. I didn't know that people used to think bonobos were a type of chimp. I didn't know how different they were from chimps in temperament and voice and tool use. I didn't realize their territories didn't really overlap with those of chimps or orangutans or gorillas - or that bonobos are mostly in one large area bounded by rivers. I didn't know how few bonobos there were in the wild or at zoos. I didn't know the extent to which bonobos used sex (sexual overtures, more accurately, in some cases) as part of everyday social interactions and negotiations, or how they went about it. I didn't know how difficult the bonobos' native territory was to access, or how often they came across people. I didn't know that some researchers put food out for bonobos to acclimate them to the scientists' presence, while others don't, or the differences in bonobo behavior resulting from those different approaches. All of the topics in this book were very interesting.
Now I need to find out what they've learned about bonobos since this book was published, especially now that genealogical and other DNA testing has gotten so popular!
December 15, 2016
Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape is a beautiful and fascinating joint effort by author/primatologist Frans de Waal and photographer Frans Lanting. The photographs are incredibly moving, capturing the essence of this elusive and unique ape.
The text is riveting, but my one complaint would be there were not enough stories about specific individual Bonobos. I realize that sparsity of individuals' stories is a product of the nature of the Bonobos (they live in very inaccessible places, and there are few in captivity to study) as well as the nature of the book (it is meant to be an introduction to this species many folks never heard of). However, I miss those stories about individual apes or monkeys; there were some, but not as many as in other books I've read (The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary, Among the Great Apes, and A Primate's Memoir) where you leave feeling as if you know SOMEONE new. It is those details of an individual ape's or monkey's behavior which make me realize how arrogant we as a species are about the supposed primacy and uniqueness of our inner lives, how misguided we are in thinking that this planet was put here for us and for us alone, and how imperative it is that we be stewards of this planet's ecosystems rather than exploiters of its resources.
The other "criticism" I would have about this book is that it is almost too beautiful for its own good. It is over-sized and full of beautiful photographs - it runs the risk of being considered a "coffee table book," and we all know no one ever reads those! And not reading this worthwhile, informative, thought-provoking book would be a shame.
The text is riveting, but my one complaint would be there were not enough stories about specific individual Bonobos. I realize that sparsity of individuals' stories is a product of the nature of the Bonobos (they live in very inaccessible places, and there are few in captivity to study) as well as the nature of the book (it is meant to be an introduction to this species many folks never heard of). However, I miss those stories about individual apes or monkeys; there were some, but not as many as in other books I've read (The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary, Among the Great Apes, and A Primate's Memoir) where you leave feeling as if you know SOMEONE new. It is those details of an individual ape's or monkey's behavior which make me realize how arrogant we as a species are about the supposed primacy and uniqueness of our inner lives, how misguided we are in thinking that this planet was put here for us and for us alone, and how imperative it is that we be stewards of this planet's ecosystems rather than exploiters of its resources.
The other "criticism" I would have about this book is that it is almost too beautiful for its own good. It is over-sized and full of beautiful photographs - it runs the risk of being considered a "coffee table book," and we all know no one ever reads those! And not reading this worthwhile, informative, thought-provoking book would be a shame.
April 13, 2012
Bonobo’s are so similar to chimpanzees in appearance that they were not officially identified as a separate species until 1929. This book is a survey of their zoo and wild behavior data up to 1996. Unlike similarly sized chimpanzees, bonobo males do not cooperate for territorial defense which means they do not cooperate for anything and this completely changes the social dynamics of this species. As a consequence bonobos are not as widespread in Africa as chimpanzees being restricted to food rich dense jungles.
Without cooperative males to keep the social peace the females use the strategy of sexual contact to soothe tensions among themselves and with the males. Unlike chimpanzees where males tend to live wary separate lives unless bonded for a cooperative task in this species that is the characteristic of the females. While males will form a dominance hierarchy among themselves with the most dominant ones gaining the most access to the females their status is heavily reliant on their mother and her cooperatives. To really place this behavioral strategy into a larger context one should really be up to date on chimpanzee behavior before reading this book.
Without cooperative males to keep the social peace the females use the strategy of sexual contact to soothe tensions among themselves and with the males. Unlike chimpanzees where males tend to live wary separate lives unless bonded for a cooperative task in this species that is the characteristic of the females. While males will form a dominance hierarchy among themselves with the most dominant ones gaining the most access to the females their status is heavily reliant on their mother and her cooperatives. To really place this behavioral strategy into a larger context one should really be up to date on chimpanzee behavior before reading this book.
May 22, 2012
A good introduction to that other cousin of ours that shares 98% of our DNA - the bonobo. The photographs are remarkable, revealing a gentle and empathetic nature to these fellow hominids. At times you will wonder if you are staring into the eyes of a creature that knows more than we give it credit for...The gazes appear thoughtful, sensitive, loving and almost human!
This book is a good springboard into deWaal's "Our Inner Ape." It challenges our long-held view that our ancestral roots sprang only from groups that were violent, selfish and patriarcal. Instead, the bonobo reveals that our common ancestor had roots that led us to form cooperative relationships, the nuclear family and ultimately a peaceful society. One section of the book prompted me to look up Kanzi - an intelligent bonobo who learned to communicate through lexicons. But it was Kanzi's empathy and intuitiveness that were so touching. This book only touches on some heartwarming stories about the empathetic nature of bonobos. If you read "Our Inner Ape," you'll really start to form a soft spot for these animals.
This book is a good springboard into deWaal's "Our Inner Ape." It challenges our long-held view that our ancestral roots sprang only from groups that were violent, selfish and patriarcal. Instead, the bonobo reveals that our common ancestor had roots that led us to form cooperative relationships, the nuclear family and ultimately a peaceful society. One section of the book prompted me to look up Kanzi - an intelligent bonobo who learned to communicate through lexicons. But it was Kanzi's empathy and intuitiveness that were so touching. This book only touches on some heartwarming stories about the empathetic nature of bonobos. If you read "Our Inner Ape," you'll really start to form a soft spot for these animals.
December 19, 2019
I loved this book! Frans de Waals is a primatologist and an accomplished author. He writes about primates with respect, humor, and great understanding. After reading this book I went on to read The Bonobo and the Atheist and Mama's Last Hug. If you are looking for fascinating nonfiction, Frans de Waals is an excellent choice.
October 21, 2012
This proved a useful guide to bonobos, with plenty of photographs, many taken in the wild. While its format is very much coffee-table, there is also a bibliography and notes for those wishing to take seek further information.
I checked it out of the library along with Planet Ape in order to increase my knowledge of bonobos to help out with my volunteer role at the only zoo in the UK housing bonobos.
It accomplished this task though given the book was written in 1997, I felt that it was likely that in the intervening 15 years further research had taken place adding to our understanding.
I checked it out of the library along with Planet Ape in order to increase my knowledge of bonobos to help out with my volunteer role at the only zoo in the UK housing bonobos.
It accomplished this task though given the book was written in 1997, I felt that it was likely that in the intervening 15 years further research had taken place adding to our understanding.
March 26, 2012
it's more a coffee table book than a research treatise, but it's beautiful and occasionally insightful. one of the more interesting tidbits i'd never heard before: bonobo nests seem to function as "private spaces", in that they can retreat to their nests (or frantically build a makeshift nest) to retreat from conflict or competition with other individuals. since these nests clearly aren't a physical impediment to contact, they seem instead to operate through a cultural norm. a bonobo's nest is its castle.
June 9, 2011
Here's why you're looking for a relatively quick read on the other ape that we're closely related to (we're as related to Bonobos as we are to Chimpanzees): Bonobos have crazy sex lives; they have a totally different social structure than chimpanzees (Bonobo society is centered around females); their social intelligence seems to be amazing. We're not Chimpanzees, and we're not Bonobos, but reading about this different relative of ours was an eye-opening experience.
March 4, 2013
This is one of the most beautifully photographed books I've seen. And the story of bonobos is amazing, too. The photographs of the mother bonobos lying on the ground holding their babies in their arms above them, playing with them are eerily like photos we've seen of humans.
I really knew nothing about this species, other than their name. And yet they are very closely related to chimpanzees and humans.
What a great book--one worth looking at for the photos, even if you don't want to read it.
I really knew nothing about this species, other than their name. And yet they are very closely related to chimpanzees and humans.
What a great book--one worth looking at for the photos, even if you don't want to read it.
April 3, 2008
This book has amazing photos and is a good easy way for someone to learn some surface info about an ape you may never see in captivity and that will likely not exist in the wild for too much longer. Bonobos are fascinating and the most human-like of any of the apes in my experience, after working with them all. Don't read to the sex part and quit.
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September 23, 2021I have this book, but haven't read it yet.
I gave it to Dad to read first.
Nice large-size picture book. Very detailed [long] text about many aspects of bonobos.
Beautiful color close-up photos.
Fascinating.
A bit too detailed to serve as an introduction of De Waal's books to general readers.
The bonobo colony observed is in San Diego.
I gave it to Dad to read first.
Nice large-size picture book. Very detailed [long] text about many aspects of bonobos.
Beautiful color close-up photos.
Fascinating.
A bit too detailed to serve as an introduction of De Waal's books to general readers.
The bonobo colony observed is in San Diego.
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