Female Bonobos Lead Hunting in Their Troops
New research in Current Biology finds female bonobos are the primary hunters in their groups, challenging the 'man the hunter' model of early human societies.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Social Sciences
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Researchers led by Gottfried Hohmann of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior found that female bonobos are the primary hunters in their troops. The findings were published in Current Biology.
Why it matters
Bonobos are as closely related to humans as chimpanzees are, and they have long been characterized as nonaggressive and matriarchal. The study challenges the long-held 'man the hunter' model used to explain the behavior of early human societies.
The study reports that female bonobos are the primary hunters in their troops, a pattern observed through direct observation of hunting in the species. The extraction does not provide quantitative comparisons, sample sizes, or study duration.
The players
Gottfried Hohmann
Gottfried Hohmann is a primatologist at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the lead author of the study.
Jake Brooker
Jake Brooker is a primatologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands who was not involved in the research.
The details
Researchers observed female bonobos hunting in their troops, and the findings were published in Current Biology. Bonobos have largely vegetarian diets and matriarchal social structures, which makes the hunting behavior notable.
Timeline
The article reporting the research was published on November 12, 2026.
Big Picture
The findings challenge the 'man the hunter' model that has long shaped theories of early human labor division. Because bonobos are as closely related to humans as chimpanzees are, the evidence adds to debates over how hunting roles were distributed in early human groups.
The research suggests that assumptions about gendered roles in early human hunting may need revisiting. Readers interested in how such findings shape views of human history can follow ongoing work in primatology and anthropology.
The takeaway
Animal studies can reshape long-standing assumptions about human history. Evidence from closely related species helps test whether traditional models of social roles hold up.
Further reading
Explore more research on animal behavior in our Social Sciences section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The New York Times.
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