FAITH LAPIDUS: Bonobos may look like small chimpanzees, but they are, in fact, a completely different species. Kay Prufer says the genetic differences between bonobos and chimpanzees may be explained by where the animals live. In the wild, the peace-loving bonobos can only be found in one place – the Democratic Republic of Congo.
KAY PRUFER: “The formation of the Congo River -- which is about two million years ago -- probably it divided up the ancestor in two different parts; the one below the Congo River, which are the bonobos, and the chimpanzees, which live north of the Congo River; this geological event essentially divided up this ancestor and formed these two different species.”
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Bonobos have lived for millions of years in a place where food is plentiful. To the north of the river, chimpanzees and gorillas often live close to one another. They compete fiercely for food in a place where there is much less of it. Researchers believe this may explain why chimpanzees are so aggressive and bonobos are not. Researchers say the bonobo genome shows that after the Congo River was formed, the chimps and bonobos did not mate.
Richard Ruggiero is chief of the Asia and Africa branch at the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. He says the mapping of the bonobo genome is an important development. He believes these findings could be of great help to the bonobos - the world’s most-endangered primates.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25