Bonobos, a species closely related to humans, inhabit the humid forests of central Africa, specifically in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) south of the Congo River. Understanding their diverse diet is important for comprehending their adaptations to their forest environment.
Primary Food Sources
The diet of bonobos is primarily frugivorous, with fruit forming the largest portion of their food intake. When plentiful, fruit can constitute a significant part of their diet, sometimes ranging from 57% to as high as 90% in certain areas. They consume a variety of fruits, including those from Dialium trees (velvet tamarind) and Ficus species like figs, which can sustain an entire group for days. Other important fruit sources include Uapaca guineensis, Anonidium mannii (junglesop), and Pancovia laurentii.
Beyond fruits, bonobos extensively consume other plant-based materials, collectively known as terrestrial herbaceous vegetation (THV). This category includes leaves, young shoots, flowers, pith, bark, seeds, roots, and mushrooms. THV can make up about 30% of a wild bonobo’s diet and serves as a stable, non-seasonal food source, especially when fruit availability is low. These plant parts provide essential nutrients like protein, with examples including African ginger and arrowroot.
While plant matter dominates their diet, bonobos also supplement it with various non-plant items. They consume invertebrates such as insect larvae, earthworms, and millipedes, and occasionally termites. Small vertebrates like rodents or duiker calves are eaten opportunistically. Recent observations indicate that bonobos, particularly females, consume and share duiker meat at similar rates to chimpanzees.
Foraging and Consumption Habits
Bonobos engage in both arboreal and terrestrial foraging, moving through the forest canopy and on the ground to find food. They are active during the day, spending a considerable amount of time, sometimes up to 44%, in trees and 56% on the ground. Their daily activities involve roughly 20% of their time feeding and another 20% foraging, with the remainder dedicated to resting and traveling. They can spend up to nine hours each day searching for and consuming food.
Bonobos move efficiently between food sources, often traveling quickly, especially when abundant fruits are available. Their average daily travel distance is approximately 2.0 kilometers. They frequently forage for primary food items high in the trees. For processing food, bonobos peel fruits and strip leaves, and they chew wads of plant material to extract juices and nutrients. They use their hands and mouths to manipulate food. Some bonobos have even been observed washing their food before eating it.
Unique Dietary Behaviors
Food sharing is a prominent social behavior among bonobos. They are known to share food voluntarily, even with individuals outside their immediate kin group or those they do not know. Studies have shown that bonobos often choose to release another bonobo to eat together rather than consuming all the food alone. This sharing is observed among females, between adults and juveniles, and includes meat, with females often controlling access to carcasses.
The bonobo diet also undergoes seasonal variations, adapting to the availability of different food sources throughout the year. When preferred fruits become scarce, bonobos increase their consumption of terrestrial herbaceous vegetation (THV), which serves as a fallback food. They adjust their ranging patterns and foraging routes based on the seasonal abundance of food.
Bonobos exhibit instances of tool use related to food acquisition. In controlled environments, bonobos have been observed using rocks to crack nuts. Research also indicates their capacity to use natural materials like sticks, antlers, and stones as tools—such as mattocks, daggers, levers, and shovels—to access buried food or extract marrow from bones.