Publications
Comparison of the Pan Social Brain: a Candidate Gene Approach Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Social culture in bonobos Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Bonobo personality predicts friendship Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
In bonobos, strong bonds have been documented between unrelated females and between mothers and their adult sons, which can have important fitness benefits. Often age, sex or kinship similarity have been used to explain social bond strength variation. Recent studies in other species also stress the importance of personality, but this relationship remains to be investigated in bonobos. We used behavioral observations on 39 adult and adolescent ...
Facial width-to-height ratio is associated with agonistic and affiliative dominance in bonobos (Pan paniscus) Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) is associated with social dominance in human and non-human primates, which may reflect the effects of testosterone on facial morphology and behaviour. Given that testosterone facilitates status-seeking motivation, the association between fWHR and behaviour should be contingent on the relative costs and benefits of particular dominance strategies across species and socioecological contexts. We tested this ...
Investigating form-function relationships in the bonobo hand and thumb Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
The past, present and future of research on primate biomechanics in Belgium Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Getting closer: contributions of zoo studies to research on the physiology and development of Bonobos Pan paniscus, Chimpanzees Pan troglodytes and other primates Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Behavioural studies on animals incorporate data on morphology, physiology and energetic status, as well as kinship and genetic information. Such measures have become the state of the art when assessing the function of a given behaviour. Zoos provide opportunities for research of a kind that is difficult to undertake in the wild. In this article several advantages of studying captive animals are highlighted; for example, accessibility, ease of ...