Bonobo

great apes · Congo · peaceful primates · super smart

Smallest great ape. Bonobos are the tiniest of all great apes, making them shorter and lighter than their closest cousins, the chimpanzees. Despite being smaller, they're still incredibly intelligent and strong.

Congo only home. Bonobos live only in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa, making them one of the rarest great apes on Earth. They've never been found anywhere else in the wild.

Peaceful and social. Unlike chimpanzees, bonobos are known for being gentler and more cooperative with each other. They use friendship and teamwork to solve problems instead of fighting.

Nearly identical DNA. Bonobos and chimpanzees share about 98.7 percent of their DNA with humans, making them our closest living relatives. Scientists once thought bonobos were just smaller chimpanzees until they realized they were a completely different species.

Use sense of smell. Bonobos have an excellent sense of smell and use it to find ripe fruits in the forest and communicate with other bonobos. This helps them survive in their dense rainforest home.