Gottfried Hohmann

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Department of Primatology
Deutscher Platz 6
D-04103 Leipzig, Germany

phone: +49 341 3550 208
e-mail: hohmann[>>> Please replace the brackets with an AT sign <<<]eva.mpg.de

Current Research

My current research focuses on the ecology and behavioural physiology of bonobos and the causes for the divergent evolution of the two Pan species, the bonobo and the chimpanzee. How different are the two sister species and what do they have in common? Are the specific traits separating bonobos from chimpanzees functionally related to each other and what are the selective forces that have promoted the evolution of bonobo-specific traits? In order to tackle these questions, I am using information from wild bonobos observed at Lomako (1989-1998) and LuiKotale (since 2002). Field work is complemented by experimental studies that take advantage of the possibility to induce controlled changes in terms of the social environment, access to resources or diet composition. Research on bonobos is embedded in a number of long-term collaborations within and outside the home institute.