Abstract
I studied dominance relations in a wild group of bonobos at Wamba, Democratic Republic of Congo. Although agonistic interactions between males occurred frequently, most of them consisted only of display, and physical attacks were infrequent. Dominance rank order seemed to exist among males, but its linearity is unclear. Dominant males rarely disturbed copulatory behavior by subordinate males. However, high-ranking males usually stayed in the central position of the mixed party and, so, would have more chance of access to estrous females. Among females, older individuals tended to be dominant over younger individuals. However, agonistic interactions between females occurred rather infrequently, and most consisted of displacement without any overt aggressive behavior. Dominance between males and females is unclear, but females tended to have priority of access to food. The close social status between males and females may be related to the prolonged estrus of females and their close aggregation during ranging. Existence of a male's mother in the group and her dominance status among females seemed to influence his dominance rank among males. Young adult males whose mothers were alive in the group tended to have high status. In some cases, change in dominance between high-ranking males was preceded by a corresponding change in dominance between their mothers. As the dominance status of females is similar to that of males, mothers may be able to support their sons to achieve high status, stay in the center of the mixed party, and so have greater access to females, which may maximize the number of descendants of the mothers.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Adang, O. M. J. (1985). Exploratory aggression in chimpanzees. Behavior 95: 138–163.
Appleby, M. C. (1983). The probability of linearity in hierarchies. Anim. Behav. 31: 600–608.
Badrian, A., and Badrian, N, (1984). Social organization of Pan paniscus in the Lomako Forest, Zaïre. In Susman, R. L. (ed.), The Pygmy Chimpanzee, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 325–346.
Bygott, J. D. (1979). Agonistic behavior, dominance, and social structure in wild chimpanzees of the Gombe National Park. In Hambrug, D. A., and McCown, E. R. (eds.), The Great Apes, Benjamin/Cummings, Menlo Park, CA, pp. 405–427.
Dahl, J. F. (1986). Cyclic perineal swelling during the intermenstrual intervals of captive female pygmy chimpanzees (Pan paniscus). J. Hum, Evol. 15: 369–385.
de Waal, F. B. M. (1982). Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex Among Apes, Harper and Row, New York.
de Waal, F. B. M. (1987). Tension regulation and nonproductive functions of sex in captive bonobos (Pan paniscus). Natl Geogr. Res. 3: 318–335.
de Waal, F. B. M. (1988). The communicative repertoire of captive bonobos (Pan paniscus), compared to that of chimpanzees. Behavior 106: 183–251.
de Waal, F. B. M. (1990). Sociosexual behavior used for tension regulation in all age and sex combinations among bonobos. In Fireman, J. R. (ed.), Pedophilia: Biosocial Dimensions, Springer, New York, pp. 378–393.
Elsacker, L. V. (1995). A review of terminology on aggregation patterns in bonobos (Pan paniscus). Int. J. Primatol. 16: 37–52.
Furuichi, T. (1987). Sexual swelling, receptivity, and grouping of wild pygmy chimpanzee females at Wamba, Zaïre. Primates 28: 309–318.
Furuichi, T. (1989). Social interactions and the life history of female Pan paniscus in Wamba, Zaïre. Int. J. Primatol. 10: 173–197.
Furuichi, T. (1992). The prolonged estrus of females and factors influencing mating in a wild group of bonobos (Pan paniscus) in Wamba, Zaïre. In Itoigawa, N., Sugiyama, Y., Sacketts, G. P., and Thompson, R. K. R. (eds.), Topics in Primatology, Vol. 2. Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation, University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, pp. 179–190.
Furuichi, T., and Ihobe, H. (1994). Variation in male relationships in bonobos and chimpanzees. Behavior 130: 212–228.
Goodall, J. (1986). The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior, Belknap, Cambridge.
Hasegawa, T. (1990). Sex differences in ranging patterns. In Nishida, T. (ed.), The Chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains: Sexual and Life History Strategies, University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, pp. 99–114.
Hasegawa. T., and Hiraiwa-Hasegawa, M. (1983). Opportunistic and restrictive matings among wild chimpanzees in the Mahale Mountains, Tanzania. J. Ethol. 1: 75–85.
Hasimoto, C. (1997). Context and development of sexual behavior of wild bonobos (Pan paniscus) at Wamba, Zaïre. Int. J. Primatol. 18: 1–21.
Hasimoto, C., and Furuichi, T. (1994). Social role and development of noncopulatory sexual behavior of wild bonobos. In Wrangham, R. W., McGrew, W. C., de Waal, B. M., and Heltne, P. G. (eds.), Chimpanzee Cultures, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, and London, pp. 155–168.
Idani, G. (1990). Relation between unit-groups of bonobos at Wamba, Zaïre: Encounter and temporary fusions. Afr. Study Monogr. 11: 153–186.
Idani, G. (1991). Social relationship between immigrant and resident bonobo (Pan Paniscus) females at Wamba. Folia Primatol. 57: 83–95.
Ihobe, H. (1992). Male-male relationships among wild bonobos (Pan paniscus) at Wamba, Republic of Zaïre. Primates 33: 163–179.
Kano, T. (1982). The social group of pygmy chimpanzees (Pan paniscus) of Wamba. Primates 23: 171–188.
Kano, T. (1989). The sexual behavior of pygmy chimpanzees. In Heltne, P. G., and Marquardt, L. A. (eds.), Understanding Chimpanzees, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, and London, pp. 176–183.
Kano, T. (1992). The Last Ape: Pygmy Chimpanzee Behavior and Ecology, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA.
Kano, T. (1996). Male rank order and copulation rate in a unit-group of bonobos at Wamba, Zaïre. In McGrew, W. C., Marchant, L. F., and Nishida, T. (eds.), Great Ape Societies, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 135–145.
Kitamura, K. (1983). Pygmy chimpanzee association patterns in ranging. Primates 24: 1–12.
Kitamura, K. (1989). Genito-genital contacts in the pygmy chimpanzee (Pan paniscus). Afr. Study Monogr. 10: 49–67.
Kuroda, S. (1979). Grouping of the pygmy chimpanzees. Primates 20: 161–183.
Kuroda, S. (1980). Social behavior of the pygmy chimpanzees. Primates 21: 181–197.
Kuroda, S. (1984). Interaction over food among pygmy chimpanzees. In Susman, R. L. (ed.), The Pygmy Chimpanzee, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 301–324.
McGrew. W. C. (1992). Proximate causes for becoming alpha: Fraternalistic coalitions in striving for dominance by male chimpanzees at Gombe. Paper presented at 14th Congress of the IPS, Strasbourg, France.
Nishida, T. (1983). Alpha status and agonistic alliance in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). Primates 24: 318–336.
Nishida, T. (1989). Social interactions between resident and immigrant female chimpanzees. In Heltne, P. G., and Marquardt, L. A. (eds.), Understanding Chimpanzees, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, and London, pp. 68–89.
Noë, R., de Waal, F. B. M., and van Hooff, J. A. R. A. M. (1980). Types of dominance in a chimpanzee colony. Folia Primatol. 34: 90–110.
Parish, A. R. (1994). Sex and food control in the “uncommon chimpanzee”: How bonobo females overcome a phylogenetic legacy of male dominance. Ethol. Sociobiol. 15: 157–179.
Savage-Rumbaugh, E. S., and Wilkerson, B. J. (1978). Socio-sexual behavior in Pan paniscus and Pan troglodytes: A comparative study. J. Hum. Evol. 7: 327–344.
Takahata, Y. (1990). Social relationships among adult males. In Nishida, T. (ed.), The Chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains: Sexual and Life History Strategies, University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, pp. 149–170.
Thompson-Handler, N., Malenky, R. K., and Badrian, N. (1984). Sexual behavior of Pan paniscus under natural conditions in the Lomako Forest, Equateur, Zaïre. In Sussman, R. L. (ed.), The Pygmy Chimpanzee, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 347–368.
Tutin, C. E. G. (1979). Mating patterns and reproductive strategies in a community of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 6: 29–38.
Vervaecke, L., Elsacker, L. V., and Verheyn, R. (1994). Feeding priority and reciprocity in captive bonobos (Pan paniscus). Paper presented at 16th Congress of the IPS, Bali.
White, F. J. (1988). Party composition and dynamics in Pan paniscus. Int. J. Primatol. 9:179–193.
Wrangham, R. W. (1979). Sex differences in chimpanzee dispersion. In Hamburg, D. A., and McCown, E. R. (eds.), The Great Apes, Benjamin/Cummings, Menlo Park, CA, pp. 481–489.
Wrangham, R. W. (1993). The evolution of sexuality in chimpanzees and bonobos. Hum. Nature 4: 47–79.
Yerkes, R. M. (1943). Chimpanzees, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Furuichi, T. Agonistic Interactions and Matrifocal Dominance Rank of Wild Bonobos (Pan paniscus) at Wamba. International Journal of Primatology 18, 855–875 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026327627943
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026327627943