When people find out we study chimpanzees, they usually ask about their dark side. “You know chimpanzees kill each other, right?” or “Aren’t they the only animals besides humans that wage wars?”
Chimpanzees are often cast as a mirror to our darkest tendencies, embodying violence, territoriality and power struggles. In contrast, bonobos are known as the most empathetic ape, heralded as the pacifist hippies, led by female collectives, who make love, not war.
But our new research suggests it is time to leave these stereotypes at the door.
