: a rare anthropoid ape (Pan paniscus) that has a more slender build and longer limbs than the related common chimpanzee (P. troglodytes) and that inhabits a small geographic region in equatorial Africa south of the Congo River
called alsopygmy chimpanzee
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebAnd then there was Viktor, the young bonobo who couldn’t forget Shields, either.San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2022 As of January, Vernon was the oldest mammal at the Cincinnati Zoo and the oldest male bonobo known to be in human care. Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 15 Dec. 2021 Officials announced Tuesday that Vernon, a 50-year-old bonobo and longtime resident of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, has died. Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 15 Dec. 2021 For example, the zoo will be vaccinating a 5-year-old up to a 50 year old bonobo. Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 16 Nov. 2021 Kanzi, a 40-year-old bonobo housed at the Ape Initiative, a nonprofit research facility in Des Moines, Iowa, is said to have extraordinary communication skills. Mark Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 30 June 2021 Four more animals — one bonobo and three gorillas — got their first shot this month and will get a second one in April.Fox News, 19 Mar. 2021 Seventeen months later, the young bonobo had acquired a vocabulary of 50 words. Kevin Miyazaki, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Aug. 2020 Our closest relatives, the great apes—bonobos, chimpanzees, and orangutans—have exhibited theory of mind in some experiments. Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, 9 Nov. 2019 See More
Word History
Etymology
origin unknown
First Known Use
1955, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
bonobo
noun
bo·no·bo bə-ˈnō-bō; ˈbä-nə-bō -nō-
: a rare anthropoid ape of the genus Pan (P. paniscus) that has a more slender build and longer limbs than the related common chimpanzee (P. troglodytes)