bonobo

American  

[buh-noh-boh] / bəˈnoʊ boʊ /

noun

• bonobos
  plural

1. a small chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, primarily of swamp forests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, having long legs, black face, pink lips, and parted hair on its head: an endangered species.

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bonobo British  

/ ˈbɒnəbəʊ /

noun

1. Also called: pygmy chimpanzee. an anthropoid ape, Pan paniscus , of central W Africa: similar to the chimpanzee but much smaller and having a black face

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bonobos
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bonobo

First recorded in 1950–55; origin uncertain; probably from a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Explanation

A bonobo is an African ape that's slightly smaller than a chimpanzee. Known for being timid and peaceful, bonobo groups are also matriarchal, led by females. Along with chimpanzees, bonobos are our closest relatives, sharing 98.7 percent of their DNA with humans. These apes are native to a small region in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where their existence is threatened by deforestation and poaching. Bonobo most likely derives from a misspelling of the Congolese town of Bolobo printed on a shipping crate. Before being recognized as a separate species and given a distinct name, they were called pygmy chimpanzees.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bonobo bonobos

To examine how males respond to this unreliable signal, researchers observed a wild bonobo community at Wamba in the Luo Scientific Reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 14, 2025

Similar findings were also reported in another study with a bonobo, in which the bonobo was also able to synchronize its drum beats to a human in the experiment.

From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025

By contrast, Berthet notes that bonobo communication focuses mostly on getting the group together.

From Salon ● May 29, 2025

But Fruth and other scientists recognized that Salonga offered a key to unlock much-needed answers for bonobo conservation.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 2, 2024

I pulled Otto from the protesting little girl and wrapped my arms around his sweaty skinny body — Sorry, but the bonobo comes with me.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

Researchers at Durham University studied chimpanzees and bonobos using physical contact to reassure each other ahead of conflicts over food.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Researchers from Utrecht University and Universidad Carlos III de Madrid found that chimpanzees and bonobos, our closest living relatives, also form social networks that resemble human friendship circles.

From Science Daily ● May 31, 2026

Humans, chimps and bonobos share a common ancestor going back 7 million years or so.

From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026

By looking at chimps, which along with bonobos are humans' closest living relatives, perhaps we "can help confirm some of the hypotheses about how those really early hominins, or bipedal apes, behaved", Pruetz said.

From Barron's ● Jan. 15, 2026

The other bonobos came over and prized up their own shoots, biting into the pith eagerly.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

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