Bonobo | |
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Bonobos at the Cincinnati Zoo | |
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Binomial name | |
Pan paniscus Schwarz, 1929 | |
Bonobo distribution |
The bonobo, Pan paniscus, is a great ape and the smaller of the two species making up the genus Pan (the other is Pan troglodytes, the common chimpanzee). The bonobo is sometimes called the dwarf or pygmy chimpanzee. Although the name "chimpanzee" is sometimes used to refer to both species together, it is usually understood to mean the common chimpanzee, while Pan paniscus is usually referred to as the bonobo.
The bonobo lives in rain forest, in a 500,000 km2 (190,000 sq mi) area south of the Congo River. This is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa.