Of course the real story is a lot more subtle. There is violence in bonobo societies. They aren't constantly having sex. But the differences between chimps and bonobos, I think, are still enough to puzzle over.
Take that time of the month.
Us humans girls usually hate getting our period. We get crampy and generally walk around biting people's heads off.
For a chimpanzee, the worst time of their cycle is the middle, when they start to ovulate and they're most likely to get pregnant. This is the time female chimpanzees get the crap beaten out of them. Males, especially high ranking ones, will beat an ovulating female into submission because she is more likely to mate with them.
A severe case of MCB (Mid Cycle Blues)Bonobo males will very occasionally attack a female. But it's nowhere near the frequency that it happens in chimps. And if they do attack her, she's no more likely to have sex with them. Which doesn't make it a very effective mating strategy. Which means beating up females so they will have sex with you later, doesn't become an entrenched part of bonobo society, like it does in chimps.
Interesting difference #1. Stay tuned for more developments.
That time of the month in bonobo land isn't a one way ticket to bruiseville
For more on the controversy, check out:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/07/30/070730fa_fact_parker/
http://news.aol.com/newsbloggers/2007/08/03/bonobo-promiscuity-another-myth-bites-the-dust/
http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/07-08-08.html#feature
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/07/30/070730fa_fact_parker/
http://news.aol.com/newsbloggers/2007/08/03/bonobo-promiscuity-another-myth-bites-the-dust/
http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/07-08-08.html#feature
