---
_id: '61026'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: In mammals, pregnancy and lactation are marked by calcium stress and bone
    resorption, leading to reduced bone mineral density. In humans, these periods
    may partly explain the higher prevalence of osteoporosis in older women compared
    with men, but lactation patterns in modern humans may reflect cultural influences
    rather than natural conditions. The extent to which these findings apply to wild-living
    mammals remains unknown. We measured urinary C-terminal crosslinking telopeptide
    of Type I collagen (CTX-I) levels, a bone resorption marker, during pregnancy
    in wild and zoo-housed bonobos (Pan paniscus) and during lactation in wild bonobos.
    Studying wild-living primates such as bonobos can provide insights into ancestral
    reproductive adaptations. We found an increase in CTX-I levels towards the end
    of pregnancy in zoo-housed and primiparous wild females. Contrary to expectations,
    CTX-I levels during early lactation are lower than in other reproductive phases.
    This pattern diverges from the assumption that lactation increases bone resorption.
    Our findings suggest that wild bonobos may use physiological or behavioral strategies
    to modulate bone metabolism during lactation. These adaptations, shaped in natural
    environments, provide insight into evolutionary pressures on skeletal health and
    may inform strategies to mitigate bone loss in humans.
author:
- first_name: Verena
  full_name: Behringer, Verena
  last_name: Behringer
- first_name: Ruth
  full_name: Sonnweber, Ruth
  last_name: Sonnweber
- first_name: Barbara
  full_name: Fruth, Barbara
  last_name: Fruth
- first_name: Genevieve
  full_name: Housman, Genevieve
  last_name: Housman
- first_name: Pamela Heidi
  full_name: Douglas, Pamela Heidi
  id: '72311'
  last_name: Douglas
- first_name: Jeroen M. G.
  full_name: Stevens, Jeroen M. G.
  last_name: Stevens
- first_name: Gottfried
  full_name: Hohmann, Gottfried
  last_name: Hohmann
- first_name: Tracy L.
  full_name: Kivell, Tracy L.
  last_name: Kivell
citation:
  ama: Behringer V, Sonnweber R, Fruth B, et al. Wild bonobos experience unusually
    low bone resorption during early lactation relative to humans and other mammals.
    <i>Evolutionary Human Sciences</i>. 2025;7(e27):1-23. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2025.10013">10.1017/ehs.2025.10013</a>
  apa: Behringer, V., Sonnweber, R., Fruth, B., Housman, G., Douglas, P. H., Stevens,
    J. M. G., Hohmann, G., &#38; Kivell, T. L. (2025). Wild bonobos experience unusually
    low bone resorption during early lactation relative to humans and other mammals.
    <i>Evolutionary Human Sciences</i>, <i>7</i>(e27), 1–23. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2025.10013">https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2025.10013</a>
  bibtex: '@article{Behringer_Sonnweber_Fruth_Housman_Douglas_Stevens_Hohmann_Kivell_2025,
    title={Wild bonobos experience unusually low bone resorption during early lactation
    relative to humans and other mammals}, volume={7}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2025.10013">10.1017/ehs.2025.10013</a>},
    number={e27}, journal={Evolutionary Human Sciences}, publisher={Cambridge University
    Press (CUP)}, author={Behringer, Verena and Sonnweber, Ruth and Fruth, Barbara
    and Housman, Genevieve and Douglas, Pamela Heidi and Stevens, Jeroen M. G. and
    Hohmann, Gottfried and Kivell, Tracy L.}, year={2025}, pages={1–23} }'
  chicago: 'Behringer, Verena, Ruth Sonnweber, Barbara Fruth, Genevieve Housman, Pamela
    Heidi Douglas, Jeroen M. G. Stevens, Gottfried Hohmann, and Tracy L. Kivell. “Wild
    Bonobos Experience Unusually Low Bone Resorption during Early Lactation Relative
    to Humans and Other Mammals.” <i>Evolutionary Human Sciences</i> 7, no. e27 (2025):
    1–23. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2025.10013">https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2025.10013</a>.'
  ieee: 'V. Behringer <i>et al.</i>, “Wild bonobos experience unusually low bone resorption
    during early lactation relative to humans and other mammals,” <i>Evolutionary
    Human Sciences</i>, vol. 7, no. e27, pp. 1–23, 2025, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2025.10013">10.1017/ehs.2025.10013</a>.'
  mla: Behringer, Verena, et al. “Wild Bonobos Experience Unusually Low Bone Resorption
    during Early Lactation Relative to Humans and Other Mammals.” <i>Evolutionary
    Human Sciences</i>, vol. 7, no. e27, Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2025, pp.
    1–23, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2025.10013">10.1017/ehs.2025.10013</a>.
  short: V. Behringer, R. Sonnweber, B. Fruth, G. Housman, P.H. Douglas, J.M.G. Stevens,
    G. Hohmann, T.L. Kivell, Evolutionary Human Sciences 7 (2025) 1–23.
date_created: 2025-08-26T19:28:20Z
date_updated: 2025-09-04T11:44:28Z
ddc:
- '590'
department:
- _id: '40'
doi: 10.1017/ehs.2025.10013
file:
- access_level: open_access
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: hdouglas
  date_created: 2025-09-04T11:39:04Z
  date_updated: 2025-09-04T11:39:04Z
  file_id: '61133'
  file_name: Behringer et al - 2025 - Wild-bonobos-experience-unusually-low-bone-resorption-during-early-lactation-relative-to-humans-and-other-mammals.pdf
  file_size: 1473060
  relation: main_file
file_date_updated: 2025-09-04T11:39:04Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: '         7'
issue: e27
keyword:
- Reproductive phase
- Hominoid
- CTX-I
- Bone turnover markers
- Pan paniscus
- Bone density
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/E819AFD9F17034D21F2F39FC9817C35E/S2513843X25100133a.pdf/wild-bonobos-experience-unusually-low-bone-resorption-during-early-lactation-relative-to-humans-and-other-mammals.pdf
oa: '1'
page: 1-23
publication: Evolutionary Human Sciences
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 2513-843X
publication_status: published
publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
status: public
title: Wild bonobos experience unusually low bone resorption during early lactation
  relative to humans and other mammals
type: journal_article
user_id: '72311'
volume: 7
year: '2025'
...