The bonono (Pan paniscus), also known as the pygmy chimpanzee, pygmy chimp, dwarf chimpanzee, dwarf chimp, gracile chimpanzee, or gracile chimp, is a species of great ape that can only be found in the rainforests (especially seasonally inundated swamp forest) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Bonobos were initially thought to be a subspecies of the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) because of the physical similarities between both species. They are distinguished from them by relatively long limbs, pinker lips, a darker face, a tail-tuft through adulthood, and longer parted hair on their heads, some individuals having sparser thin hair over parts of their bodies. The bonobo is predominantly frugivorous, compared to the often highly omnivorous diets and hunting of small monkeys and bush babies, duiker and other antelope, and warthogs exhibited by the chimpanzee.
Because of political instability in the country and the general timidity of bonobos, there has been relatively little field work done observing the species in its natural habitat. They are listed as endangered by the IUCN due to commercial poaching, habitat destruction, and human population growth and movement (as well as ongoing civil unrest and political infighting). Along with the chimpanzee, the bonobo is the closest extant relative to humans.
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A bonobo named Adolf from the National Zoo of Washington, D.C. was with Tim Murphy at a talk show in New York.
