Bonobos, like humans, cooperate with unrelated members of other groups

That behavior could help shed light on the evolution of cooperation between groups of people

A female bonobo grooms a male from another group

An adult female in the Congo’s Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve grooms an adolescent male from a neighboring group of unrelated bonobos.

M. Surbeck/Kokolopori Bonobo Research Project

Humans regularly cooperate and share resources with other, unrelated humans in different social groups, often without any immediate, reciprocated benefits.