抄録
Peering behavior in wild bonobos (Pan paniscus) was studied at Wamba, Zaire. A total of 230 peering episodes were recorded on an adlibitum basis in two artificial feeding sites. Peering behavior was often directed from younger individuals toward elder ones. In particular, adult females were most frequently involved in peering, with individuals of all age-sex classes. On the other hand, adult male bonobos seldom took part in peering behavior. There were four types of behavior which followed peering: (1) the peerer left the place, (2) the peerer left the place, (3) both stayed at the place, (4) some other social interaction followed. Type (4) was the most frequent. Peering behavior usually led to tolerance by older or dominant animals of a younger or subordinate animal's subsequent actions directed towards the former. Peering behavior was thus concluded to be a unilateral action for initiating affinitive interactions by the peerer.
