Book review of Frans De Waal

Frans De Waal:
BONOBO: THE FORGOTTEN APE (University of California Press, 1997)

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The behavior of these "pygmy chimpanzees", the bonobos, is markedly different from the behavior of chimpanzees, and markedly similar to human behavior. Sex, in particular, is performed for pleasure and not only for reproductive functions, and is performed in all gender combinations and in a variety of positions (including face to face copulation). Bonobos are also excellent bipeds. Bonobos live harmoniously in female-centered societies. The prominent role of sex in their society is what puzzles the most the Dutch zoologist Franz de Waal.

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