Academic Journal
A lethal incident during an intergroup encounter in bonobos.
| Τίτλος: | A lethal incident during an intergroup encounter in bonobos. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Gareta García M; Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, 02138, USA. miguelgaretagarcia@fas.harvard.edu., Fornof LJ; Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, 02138, USA., Sabbi KH; Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, 02138, USA., Martin F; Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, 02138, USA., Sonderling E; Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, 02138, USA., De Rozario J; Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, 02138, USA., Cikara M; Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA., Surbeck M; Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, 02138, USA. msurbeck@fas.harvard.edu.; Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany. msurbeck@fas.harvard.edu. |
| Πηγή: | Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2026 Mar 23; Vol. 16 (1). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Mar 23. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Nature Publishing Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101563288 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2045-2322 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20452322 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Sci Rep Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: London : Nature Publishing Group, copyright 2011- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Pan paniscus*/physiology , Pan paniscus*/psychology , Aggression*/psychology , Behavior, Animal* , Social Behavior*, Animals ; Female |
| Περίληψη: | Although neighbouring bonobo communities often display tolerance and cooperation when associating together, aggression is also commonly observed during intergroup encounters. Here, we describe an observation at the Kokolopori research site (DRC) in which a coalition of individuals from the neighbouring Kokoalongo community aggressed an adult female from the Ekalakala community. This happened during an ongoing intergroup encounter that had begun earlier as the two communities travelled and foraged together. Shortly after the attack, the 52-day-old infant of the attacked female was carried by two immatures of Kokoalongo. The infant showed signs of distress before being taken by an adult Kokoalongo female, the mother of the immatures. The infant died the following day, and the adult female continued to carry the corpse for two additional days. This unique case of infant acquisition by unrelated out-group individuals immediately following aggression against the mother underscores that bonobo intergroup encounters can have lethal outcomes. These events highlight the complexity and unpredictability of intergroup dynamics in this species. (© 2026. The Author(s).) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical note: All research protocols for this study were reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Scientific Research of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The bonobos of the Kokolopori Research Site were habituated to human observers, and behavioral data was collected using non-invasive, observational methods only; no individuals were captured, handled, or experimentally manipulated. All methods were carried out in accordance with relevant institutional, national, and international guidelines and regulations, including the Harvard animal ethics guidelines, the ASAB Ethical Committee guidelines, the IUCN Policy Statement on Research Involving Species at Risk of Extinction. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Aggression; Bonobo; Community; Intergroup encounter; Out-group |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260324 Date Completed: 20260713 Latest Revision: 20260813 |
| Update Code: | 20260813 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13009480 |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-026-40297-w |
| PMID: | 41872363 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 2045-2322 |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-026-40297-w |