Indeed, human societies tend to be matriarchal when there is little direct competition for resources. Unlike the male-dominated groups of chimpanzees, bonobos live in peaceful communities where the chief is female. Which, considering their reputation as amicable apes, is good news for us. Once overlooked, researchers are recognizing bonobos as more similar than chimpanzees to humans. Increasingly, research is actually showing how cooperative chimpanzees can be. So some scientists may have overemphasized this trait. Mulcahy, co-director at the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in the US, believes aggression only 'makes up a very small part of their daily activity'. Chimps can also help us learn about the circumstances that might encourage aggression, such as when rivals are outnumbered or when positions in the status hierarchy are being negotiated. One argument scientists have made is that these warlike tendencies are hardwired in us the same way they are hardwired in chimpanzees, which challenges the view that wars are a man-made phenomenon. They bit and ripped out Yeroen's testicles and the loss of blood killed him. Dutch primate expert Frans de Waal's 1982 book Chimpanzee Politics included a colorful description of how Luit and Nikkie, two young male chimpanzees, allied to violently usurp Yeroen, the alpha male. Chimpanzees 'go ape' and attack each other in coordinated assaults. However, one disturbing characteristic stands out. An array of human characteristics, including empathy, playfulness and respect for elders have since been attributed to our shared ancestry with chimpanzees. This finding paved the way for research on chimpanzees as a lens to understand which human aspects are natural rather than socially conditioned. We share a common ancestor with them as well as anatomical features, complex social hierarchies and problem-solving skills.īonobos may be one of our closest cousins but chimpanzees dominated research after Jane Goodall discovered in the 1960s that chimpanzees make and use tools. Among the great apes, the chimpanzees and the bonobos are the most genetically related to us as we share about 98.7% of our DNA with them.

Chimps and bonobos