Publication
Title
Group-specific expressions of co-feeding tolerance in bonobos and chimpanzees preclude dichotomous species generalizations
Author
Abstract
Bonobos are typically portrayed as more socially tolerant than chimpanzees, yet the current evidence supporting such a species-level categorization is equivocal. Here, we used validated group-level co-feeding assays to systematically test expressions of social tolerance in sixteen groups of zoo-and sanctuary housed bonobos and chimpanzees. We found that co-feeding tolerance substantially overlaps between the species, thus precluding categorical inference at the species level. Instead, marked differences were observed between groups, with some bonobo communities exhibiting higher social tolerance than chimpanzee communities, and vice versa. Moreover, considerable intergroup variation was found within species living in the same environment, which attests to Pan's behavioral flexibility. Lastly, chimpanzees showed more tolerance in male-skewed communities, whereas bonobos responded less pronounced to sex-ratio variation. We conclude that the pervasive dichotomy between the tolerant bonobo and the belligerent chimpanzee requires quantitative nuance, and that accurate phylogenetic tracing of (human) social behavior warrants estimations of intraspecific group variation.
Language
English
Source (journal)
iScience
Publication
Elsevier , 2023
ISSN
2589-0042
DOI
10.1016/J.ISCI.2023.108528
Volume/pages
26 :12 (2023) , p. 1-12
Article Reference
108528
ISI
001135913700001
Pubmed ID
38144453
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 01.02.2024
Last edited 25.05.2024
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