The bonobo is a species of great ape that shares nearly 99 percent of our DNA, just like chimpanzees.

Yet these primates, native only to Democratic Republic of the Congo, are often overshadowed by their more well-known chimp cousins. Western scientists often called them the “pygmy chimp” until 1929, when bonobos were officially recognized as a separate species.

Bonobos are roughly the same size as chimps, but with lither bodies; smaller, more rounded shoulders; longer legs; and a propensity to walk upright. Their wide-ranging diet includes fruits, insects, fish, and small mammals, including monkeys, hyrax, and small antelope.

Bonobos forage both on the ground—for earthworms and other invertebrates—and in the forest canopy, where they swing through the trees in