My first PhD paper is published! 🎉 We compared how wild bonobo and chimpanzee infants (0-5.5y) become independent from their mothers. Here is the open-access link: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.... 🧵(1/5)

So, do they differ in their development? Mostly not! But we found some differences: 1. Travelling patterns: - Dorsal riding: chimpanzees longer than bonobos - Independent travel: bonobos more often (This may be a population difference though!) (2/5)

2. Spatial independence: Chimpanzee infants stay closer to mothers for longer. Both stay close to their mothers for long though. This may be linked to the high-risk exposure for chimpanzees and possibly differences in maternal strategies. (3/5)

Our results point to a mosaic: some parts of development are tightly conserved (ventral riding, nursing, grooming), while others shift with ecology, social risk, and maternal strategy. (4/5)