Sex and the Bonobo

The Bonobo, pan paniscus, is an ape. It is sometimes misleadingly called the pigmy chimpanzee. Genetically, together with the chimpanzee, they are the closest animals to human beings.

In some ways the Bonobo appears more human than the chimpanzee. For example, the Bonobo can walk upright almost like a human. Perhaps related to this the Bonobo often chooses face to face sex. This is something once believed to be exclusive to humans. Most mammals sexually penetrate from behind. Of course, both humans and Bonobos can have sex from behind, and often choose to. Apparently face to face sex can also occur in chimpanzees, although it is unusual.

Rape is generally believed to not occur in Bonobos. Rape in humans is a serious crime. I and many people regard rape as being mainly a crime of violence rather than one of sex.

Apart from rape, the Bonobo performs every type of sex that humans do.

There are no Bonobo homosexuals. There are also no Bonobo heterosexuals. Bonobos are bisexual. They might have some difficulty understanding the separation into different sexual orientations in humans. Because many human societies are based on monogamous marriage, a bisexual human will normally act in a completely heterosexual way, being completely loyal to their life partner. This is not the way Bonobo society is structured.

Bonobos perform sex acts with both sexes, and over a wider range of ages than would be accepted in humans. Mother son sex appears to be rare, but does occur. Bonobos do not know their father. However, father daughter sex in Bonobos is normally prevented by the cultural practice of the young Bonobo females leaving their original group and joining another one.

Mother and daughter sex does occur, and father and son sex must also happen.

Bonobos use sex as a form of conflict resolution. After an augment there is usually some form of sex, and the Bonobos are friends again. Bonobos also use sex to prevent conflict. After a group of Bonobos finds food they will usually have a quick orgy before eating. Then they eat without much argument.

Sex in Bonobos is generally quick, but they have sex a lot. It used to be believed that among the primates humans have the largest penises. (A Gorilla male may only have a three inch penis). However, the Bonobo males can rival humans in penis size. There is considerable variation in both species.

As well as all doing all the sex acts humans do, Bonobo males will sometimes rub their scrotums together from behind. Another thing Bonobo males do is to hang from branches face to face and rub their penises together.

Based on observation, orgasm occurs in both sexes in Bonobos. At one time female orgasm was believed to be confined to humans.

Sources

Bonobos.

Animal Cuture.