---
_id: '61027'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Parturition is one of the most important yet least observed events in studies
    of primate life history and reproduction. Here, I report the first documented
    observation of a bonobo (Pan paniscus) birth event in the wild, at the Luikotale
    Bonobo Project field site, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nulliparous mother’s
    behaviour before, during and after parturition is described, along with reactions
    of other community members to the birth and the neonate. Data were collected through
    focal-animal observations, and the events postpartum were photo-documented. The
    behaviour and spatial distribution of party members were recorded using scan samples.
    Parturition occurred during the late morning in a social context, with parous
    females in close proximity to the parturient mother. Placentophagia occurred immediately
    after delivery, and the parturient shared the placenta with two of the attending
    females. I compare this observation with reports of parturition in captive bonobos,
    and highlight the observed female sociality and social support during the birth
    event. Plausible adaptive advantages of parturition occurring in a social context
    are discussed, and accrued observations of birth events in wild and free-ranging
    primates suggest that females may give birth within proximity of others more frequently
    than previously thought. This account contributes rare empirical data for examining
    the interface between female sociality and parturition, and the evolution of parturitional
    behaviours in primates.
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Pamela Heidi
  full_name: Douglas, Pamela Heidi
  id: '72311'
  last_name: Douglas
citation:
  ama: Douglas PH. Female sociality during the daytime birth of a wild bonobo at Luikotale,
    Democratic Republic of the Congo. <i>Primates</i>. 2014;55(4):533-542. doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-014-0436-0">10.1007/s10329-014-0436-0</a>
  apa: Douglas, P. H. (2014). Female sociality during the daytime birth of a wild
    bonobo at Luikotale, Democratic Republic of the Congo. <i>Primates</i>, <i>55</i>(4),
    533–542. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-014-0436-0">https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-014-0436-0</a>
  bibtex: '@article{Douglas_2014, title={Female sociality during the daytime birth
    of a wild bonobo at Luikotale, Democratic Republic of the Congo}, volume={55},
    DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-014-0436-0">10.1007/s10329-014-0436-0</a>},
    number={4}, journal={Primates}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media
    LLC}, author={Douglas, Pamela Heidi}, year={2014}, pages={533–542} }'
  chicago: 'Douglas, Pamela Heidi. “Female Sociality during the Daytime Birth of a
    Wild Bonobo at Luikotale, Democratic Republic of the Congo.” <i>Primates</i> 55,
    no. 4 (2014): 533–42. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-014-0436-0">https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-014-0436-0</a>.'
  ieee: 'P. H. Douglas, “Female sociality during the daytime birth of a wild bonobo
    at Luikotale, Democratic Republic of the Congo,” <i>Primates</i>, vol. 55, no.
    4, pp. 533–542, 2014, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-014-0436-0">10.1007/s10329-014-0436-0</a>.'
  mla: Douglas, Pamela Heidi. “Female Sociality during the Daytime Birth of a Wild
    Bonobo at Luikotale, Democratic Republic of the Congo.” <i>Primates</i>, vol.
    55, no. 4, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2014, pp. 533–42, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-014-0436-0">10.1007/s10329-014-0436-0</a>.
  short: P.H. Douglas, Primates 55 (2014) 533–542.
date_created: 2025-08-26T19:35:29Z
date_updated: 2025-08-26T19:53:09Z
department:
- _id: '40'
doi: 10.1007/s10329-014-0436-0
extern: '1'
intvolume: '        55'
issue: '4'
keyword:
- Birth
- Pan paniscus
- Parturition
- Perinatal behaviour
- Placentophagia
- Female sociality
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- url: https://rdcu.be/eCzPP
page: 533-542
publication: Primates
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 0032-8332
  - 1610-7365
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
status: public
title: Female sociality during the daytime birth of a wild bonobo at Luikotale, Democratic
  Republic of the Congo
type: journal_article
user_id: '72311'
volume: 55
year: '2014'
...