communicate with tactile communication, that is movement of the hands and arms (patting, hugging, touching). There is also submissive mounting, reassurance mounting, and social grooming (Flannery, 2000, p.3).Social Organization: Bonobos are frequently found in mixed age and sex groups with adults, juveniles, and infants of both sexes freely associating with each other(AZA, 1998, p. 2). There is a less pronounced dominance hierarchy in the bonobos social structure, and unique among great apes, a greater prevalence of strong female-female bonding, as opposed to male-male bonding in common chimps (AZA, 1998, p.2). They are found in bisexual communities, or unit groups, which range in size from 50 to 120 individuals. The communities are closed social networks within which individuals forage partly independently(Hodgson, 1996, p.1). P. paniscus 6Bonobo societies are different from those of many other primates in that the females and not the males transfer between groups(Hodgson, 1996, pp.1, 2). Females leave the natal groups as older juveniles or in early adolescence (7-9 yrs.) and transfer to another group, in which they breed and grow old(Hodgson, 1996,p.2). The older females maintain strong bonds with their grown adult sons and occupy the highest ranks among the females of the group, males on the other hand, stay in their natal group and acquire rank based on their mothers rank (Hodgson, 1996, p.2). In a Bonobo society, females play the dominant role. Bonobos are highly social, they have developed a set of ritualized socio-sexual behaviors which are specific to their species (AZA, 1998, p.2). Sexual behaviors have evolved to function as social forces, and sexual behaviors are displayed by individuals of all ages (AZA, 1998, p.2).Bonobos have some kind of sex everyday. Copulation between male and female adults when the female is not in estrus is a normal occurrence; there is a higher frequency of homosexual behavior among bonobos of all...
