A new study conducted by scientists from Kyoto University confirms that bonobos (pygmy chimpanzees) are the only known primates for which intraspecies killing has never been recorded.
Interestingly, experiments with playback of recordings of unfamiliar groups' voices showed that bonobos, like other primates, demonstrate the "common enemy effect" — they recognize an external threat and unite in response. However, unlike chimpanzees or humans, who often exhibit increased aggression in such situations, bonobos respond by strengthening social bonds — for example, through mutual grooming.
This finding suggests that the ancestor of all great apes, living 5–6 million years ago, may have faced intergroup conflicts, but bonobos evolved along a unique path, emphasizing social cooperation and reducing violence.
Thus, bonobos represent an alternative evolutionary model, demonstrating that even a deeply rooted instinct related to conflict is not an inevitable fate for a species.
