Bonobos (Pan paniscus) used to be known as "dwarf chimpanzees", an assignment that served to recognize them from consistent chimps (Pan troglodytes). Yet, the distinction in body size is little – just a matter of a couple of kilograms – and it surely is not the most intriguing contrast between the species.

"Bonobos have more style," composed primatologist Frans de Waal in Scientific American in 1995. "The bonobo, with its long legs and smallish head on restricted shoulders, has a more gracile [slender] work than does a chimpanzee."

A run of the mill bonobo has red lips, slick little ears and an unmistakable haircut, which de Waal portrayed as "an alluring style with long, fine, dark hair perfectly separated in the center." Some people even have a whiff of a bald spot.

Be that as it may, their appearance is not the thing that truly separates bonobos from chimps. The most striking distinction is the status and predominance of females.

 Bonobos seem to be less violent than chimps (Credit: age fotostock/Alamy Stock Photo)

 This bonobo is doing what you think it's doing (Credit: blickwinkel/Alamy Stock Photo)

Bonobos often mate face-to-face (Credit: Frans Lanting Studio/Alamy Stock Photo)