They increase the chance of their sons becoming fathers by three-fold by taking steps to ensure they can mate with other females. The Bonobo species also protected their sons from other males during copulation, the team from the Max Planck Institute in Germany said. Published in Current Biology, the study also found Bonobo mothers did not extend similar help to their daughters and they did not observe Bonobo daughters receive help from their mothers in rearing offspring. While both Bonobo and chimpanzee mothers would advocate for their sons in male-on-male conflicts, female Bonobos went the extra mile to help their sons with mating. Bonobo mothers were also able to use their rank in the matriarchal society to give their sons access to popular spots within social groups and help them achieve a higher status.

Source: Daily Mirror May 20, 2019 15:01 UTC