This headline is wild. It's basically the biology news equivalent to "so much for the tolerant left". Bonobo society is peaceful because they stand up for their young rather than just allowing infanticide from males. Their relative peace compared to their male-dominated cousins is a result of actively refusing to tolerate that sort of violence among their own groups.
this post was submitted on 23 Oct 2025
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You’re 100% correct.
"The power of these female coalitions is one of the main mechanisms that reverses the power dynamics between the sexes within bonobo groups," Surbeck added via email. When female bonobos form aggressive alliances to exert social control over males, they demonstrate that power can be derived not from physical strength, but also from social support.
This is where the attack by the five females on Hugo begins to make sense. According to primatologists monitoring this community, a couple of days earlier, Hugo had acted aggressively toward the infant of the youngest attacker, Bella (15 years old). Infanticide is a common male strategy in many species to ensure reproductive success: a male fathers offspring once the female is no longer caring for the children she had with others.
"Bonobo females, however, have managed to reverse this trend, which chimpanzees do, thanks to an unusual cooperation between them," explains Pashchevskaya, "and they even attack males who misbehave with their young."
"Extreme violence would be better explained as a response to the extreme threat: infanticide," summarizes the lead author of the case now detailed in Current Biology.
Together ape strong?
There’s a full-court press to discredit empathy as an ethos. So much so that even casual blogs and news outlets that don’t even have a horse in the race will still entertain the topic because it gets them the clicks.
I smiled at every charlie kirk lowered flag and gathering as it was like pissing all over him and everything he believed in. I wanted to join in and add my empathy to what happened to him and the situation of his family.
The others aren't crazy violent either...
Silverbacks don't select leaders based on aggression, the tribe picks based on compassion then sheer strength/aggression.
Chimps aren't bloodthirsty murderers either. Most of their violence is one group against another.
Like, you've missed the entire point of this:
That all primates are more similar than common perception.
That all primates are more similar than common perception.
Including human.
I would love to see an article about bobobos titled "So Much For the Tolerant Left!"
Did you already see the one about the ant leaving?
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/225/827/bc2.jpg
Tomorrow, on Fark ...
My first reaction to the headline was "what did he do?" Heh
I'm not saying it was right, I am saying there was a reason.
Sounds premeditated & thought through - peaceful species when decided an individual can't be part of the group or is a threat, and they don't have other options (controlling them, sending them away), killing is the means to keep peace. It's a matter of order (anarchic, or fascist), not random violent tendencies for the fun of it.
(And it doesn't seem like it was to take power.)
Sure, but what was he wearing?
This is what "alpha male" humans don't understand:
According to primatologists monitoring this community, a couple of days earlier, Hugo had acted aggressively toward the infant of the youngest attacker, Bella (15 years old). Infanticide is a common male strategy in many species to ensure reproductive success: a male fathers offspring once the female is no longer caring for the children she had with others.
“Bonobo females, however, have managed to reverse this trend, which chimpanzees do, thanks to an unusual cooperation between them,” explains Pashchevskaya, “and they even attack males who misbehave with their young.” “Extreme violence would be better explained as a response to the extreme threat: infanticide,” summarizes the lead author of the case now detailed in Current Biology.
One "alpha male" may be stronger than any female, but almost no one is stronger than 5+ individuals working together.
They all dream of being able to impose their will on women, and never think about how that'll end up. Which is with a group of individuals banding together against the "alpha male", biting his testicles off, and then engaging in "genital to genital rubbing" on top of his unconscious soon to be corpse.
Every society is built on the threat of violence if you don't follow social norms. There's no inherently peaceful primate society, just some that don't need to routinely follow thru to enforce their social norms.
Every society is built on the threat of violence if you don't follow social norms. There's no inherently peaceful primate society, just some that don't need to routinely follow thru to enforce their social norms.
Since humans are primates this checks out.
When did we believe apes don’t kill each other? Unless this is happening all the time, it’s nothing new.
I think there is a common thought that Bonobos overall are more peaceful than other primates, not that violence didn't exist at all.
Probably because of the butt sex
Bonobo Shore