Adonis Diaries

The less testosterone molecules the more intelligent? The case of bonobo chimps

I have watched an animal documentary on the channel ARTE. There are two kinds of chimps community organization.  The regular chimps and the bonobo chimps. They looks somehow the same in size and facial looks, but are distinct in tribal behavior and individual behaviors.

The regular chimps, the most common communities, are patriarchal in association and the males conglomerate to “shoot the breeze”. The bonobo tribes are matriarchal. The females in bonobo tribes are frequently engaged in violent fights among one another. A female attacks the generally obedient male and targets his fingers, toes, or genital parts…The male is mostly isolated…

One of the physiological factors for differences and aggressive behaviors is that female testosterone level is the same as the male in the bonobo tribes.  The testosterone level in regular chimp male (patriarchal communities) is far superior than the one of the bonobo male…

The drastic advantage of a bonobo male is that he is far more intelligent than the regular male.  Trained bonobo males can “converse” with human and comprehend the language and demonstrate their knowledge.  How that?

The bonobo male has this facility of a wide range of pictures and symbols which he can press and emit the corresponding “vocal” or sound of the word.  For example, you call the bonobo from a supermarket and says: “Hi Bonobo. I am shopping. What do you like for dinner?”  The Bonobo presses what he wants such as M&M, banana, lasagna… and you can hear on the phone what he wants… Isn’t that conversing?

You tell Bonobo: “place the keys in the fridge…” and Bonobo executes your demand. The bonobo has learned your language. If his physical structure, vocal cords, permitted him to talk, he would be engaging in conversation…

Ironically, a priest was invited to give his opinion. For example: “Do you think Bonobo as a soul?”  Obviously, the priest is to respond: “Not exactly…”  That is the kind of futile discussions you engage in, where nothing can be defined, sensed, touched, and measured…

The question is: Is level of testosterone the cause for level of intelligence or just a symptom? The bonobo male has far more time to observe, contemplate, and think than the male sex active regular chimp, and he was not bothered by female bonobos for any kinds of protection watch-dog duties.  The bonobo brain had more opportunities to function and link with the environment and community than the other busy members of chimp community… What do you think?

In another documentary, a parrot was trained to perform as well as 3 and a half year-old kids. The kind of tests involve color, shape, material, and number of angles in various shapes…