Dataset female gregariousness in bonobos and chimpanzees

Spatial association between females often mirrors pattern and strength of social relationships and cooperation within groups. Here we test for proposed differences in female-female associations and the role of sexual signaling between the two species of the genus Pan that have been linked to difference in female cooperation. Unlike previous studies, we found only limited evidence for a higher female-female gregariousness in bonobos. While bonobo females exhibited a slightly higher average number of females in their parties, there was neither a species difference in the time females spent alone, nor in the number of female party members in the absence of sexually attractive females. We found that the more frequent presence of maximally tumescent females in bonobos was associated with a significantly stronger increase in the number of female party members, independent of variation in food abundance. This indicates that conditions leading to changes in female sexual signaling ultimately af...