This picture symbolizes the epitome of a feisty primate. Even though Lucy, a bonobo at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is still very young, and even though she is just playing, her look is something that translates to humans as self-confidence. In the bonobo world, females dominate, which is something a bit unusual in the ape realm.Recent news (Current Biology, 14 Oct) shows that female and male bonobos cooperate in hunting and eating monkeys. M. Surbeck, and G. Hohmann of the Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology have reported that both sexes will silently approach monkeys in trees, from below, then leap up to try and capture them.
This is startling new behavior, for an ape that has only been known to take small duikers, squirrels, and other rodents. The researchers observed the successful hunt of a redtailed monkey (Cercopitecus ascanius) and two Wolf's guenon (C. wolfi).
It is almost unheard of for a female chimp to hunt, so this report is startling for the bonobo, an ape species known for its peaceful tendancies. "That females are hunting at all came as a surprise, but a few of them are truly excellent hunters," Hohmann said. "We just did not expect that."
Photo by M. Brickner
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