News Animals

Climate change may be leading to overcounts of endangered bonobos

Fewer of the great apes could be left in the wild than previously thought

a bonobo reclines in a nest made of branches covered in large leaves

Bonobos build elevated nests like this one out of tree branches and foliage. The structures are lasting longer, on average, in the environment than they used to, a new study finds.

© B. Fruth/MPI of Animal Behavior

By Pratik Pawar

Climate change is interfering with how researchers count bonobos, possibly leading to gross overestimates of the endangered apes, a new study suggests.