Titel:
Bonobo
Ondertitel:
The Forgotten Ape
Auteur:
Frans de Waal and Frans Lanting
ISBN/ASIN :
520216512
Besprekingen
Cover
Most people have never heard of the bonobo, an intriguing member of the great ape family, despite the fact that bonobos are as close to us as their much better known relatives, the chimpanzees. Scientists are only beginning to explore the social life of the bonobo. Whereas chimpanzees are known for male power politics, cooperative hunting, and intergroup warfare, bonobo society is egalitarian and peaceful. One major distinction of the bonobo seems to be sensitivity to others. Females, specially mothers, play a pivotal role. Bonobos form a gentle matriarchy, offering a provocative alternative to the male-based model of human evolution that emphasizes man the hunter and tool maker. In fact, specialists think of the bonobo as the “make-love-not-war” primate, because bonobos use an astonishing range of erotic encounters to resolve tensions.
Bonobos shed an exciting new light on the role of sex in human society and overthrow established theories of the biological inevitability of human aggressiveness and the drive for power.Now, two world-renowned experts in their fields, primatologist Frans de Waal and wildlife photographer Frans Lanting, have joined to celebrate this wonderful nd little-known creature. Theirs is the first extended profile of the bonobo for the general reader. It presents the mot up-to-date information on the species, including comparative data from zoo populations and from the field and interviews with leading bonobo experts. Eight superb full-color photo essays give rare views of bonobos in their native habitat in the remote rain forests of Zaire and also show them in the few zoos with captive populations. Further illstrations, in color and black-and-white, complement the text.
This is a book for all primate-watchers, amateur and specialist, for anyone interested in the origin of our own species, and for those studying the evolution of gender relations.
