this post was submitted on 23 Oct 2025
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[–] hzl@piefed.blahaj.zone 136 points 1 week ago (4 children)

This headline is wild. It's basically the biology news equivalent to "so much for the tolerant left". Bonobo society is peaceful because they stand up for their young rather than just allowing infanticide from males. Their relative peace compared to their male-dominated cousins is a result of actively refusing to tolerate that sort of violence among their own groups.

[–] TheRealKuni@piefed.social 76 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You’re 100% correct.

"The power of these female coalitions is one of the main mechanisms that reverses the power dynamics between the sexes within bonobo groups," Surbeck added via email. When female bonobos form aggressive alliances to exert social control over males, they demonstrate that power can be derived not from physical strength, but also from social support.

This is where the attack by the five females on Hugo begins to make sense. According to primatologists monitoring this community, a couple of days earlier, Hugo had acted aggressively toward the infant of the youngest attacker, Bella (15 years old). Infanticide is a common male strategy in many species to ensure reproductive success: a male fathers offspring once the female is no longer caring for the children she had with others.

"Bonobo females, however, have managed to reverse this trend, which chimpanzees do, thanks to an unusual cooperation between them," explains Pashchevskaya, "and they even attack males who misbehave with their young."

"Extreme violence would be better explained as a response to the extreme threat: infanticide," summarizes the lead author of the case now detailed in Current Biology.

[–] Whostosay@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 week ago

Together ape strong?

[–] scarabic@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

There’s a full-court press to discredit empathy as an ethos. So much so that even casual blogs and news outlets that don’t even have a horse in the race will still entertain the topic because it gets them the clicks.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I smiled at every charlie kirk lowered flag and gathering as it was like pissing all over him and everything he believed in. I wanted to join in and add my empathy to what happened to him and the situation of his family.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The others aren't crazy violent either...

Silverbacks don't select leaders based on aggression, the tribe picks based on compassion then sheer strength/aggression.

Chimps aren't bloodthirsty murderers either. Most of their violence is one group against another.

Like, you've missed the entire point of this:

That all primates are more similar than common perception.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 week ago

That all primates are more similar than common perception.

Including human.

[–] TheAlbatross@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I would love to see an article about bobobos titled "So Much For the Tolerant Left!"

[–] Notyou@sopuli.xyz 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)
[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Tomorrow, on Fark ...