Females bonobos: All mothers are the same and want only the best for their children. This rule also applies to the animal world, whose representatives sometimes demonstrate simply amazing behavior. So, for example, scientists managed to find out that mothers of miniature chimpanzees are so worried about the fate of their sons that they are ready to arrange their personal lives, entering into conflicts with other males of the community and even choosing potential brides.
This is how females bonobos arrange the privacy of their sons
Pygmy chimpanzees, or bonobos, are few primates that nowadays inhabit only one single place on the planet – the Congo River basin in the equatorial part of Africa. Bonobos are distinguished by longevity, a high level of development of the intellect, complex social connections, the presence of various emotional experiences, and sympathy towards their relatives, as well as specific sexual behavior within groups.
Interestingly, in the bonobo communities, the leading positions are occupied by females, not males, which led to the presence of an interesting behavior pattern for these primates, when the mother of her son, ready for adult life, is engaged in arranging his personal life.
If the majority of primates prove their superiority over the male competitors by deterrence and even marital fights, then the bonobo uses a completely different tactic, resorting to the help of mothers. Mama’s little boys are not at all afraid of ridicule and condemnation, because in the bonobo community such behavior is the norm.
The higher the status of the female in the bonobo family, the greater the chances of her son, because the mother not only chooses the best, in her opinion, bride but also eliminates competitors by scaring other males. Moreover, as the researchers managed to find out, this method of arranging a son’s personal life is bearing fruit: bonobos under the care of the mother are more likely to acquire offspring and more successful.
Experts note the unusually high lifespan of miniature chimpanzees. Even in natural conditions, this figure reaches 40 years, and in special nurseries and zoos, animals often live to 60 years. Moreover, this type of primate has interesting reproductive behavior. Females reach sexual maturity on average by the age of 13-14, but the offspring are not brought annually, but only once every 5 and even 6 years.
That is, in bonobo females, the quantity is compensated for by quality, since even matured young for a long time remain close to their mother, who continues to take care of them, even to the level of privacy. This behavior is characteristic of several other mammal species, which postpone the birth of the following offspring for the sake of high-quality education of the offspring.