Female Chimpanzee, Bonobo, Pygmy Chimpanzee - what am I seeing at the zoo?

Bonobo or Chimpanzee

You have to understand how similar we are to bonobos,chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas.  It’s all about reproduction and survival ofthe fittest.  So you have to see this asone of the most beautiful things in nature.

FEMALE human, bonobo, chimpanzee, orangutans and gorillahave a menstrual cycle once they become of a certain age, her first experience called menarche.  So, your mother,sister, spouse, wife - all females - will experience, has experienced, or is experiencing whatthe beginning of life is all about.

It all starts with an egg and the quest to fertilizeit.  This is the beginning of life – it’show you and I began.  And in order forlife to continue itself, it needs to have healthy offspring.

The egg is released and it is either fertilized or it is“washed out” of the body.  The egg,wanting to carry life on, wants to attract the right male to fertilize.  But it can’t do so without letting the malesknow.  In humans, this has disappearedbut not in other primates (for the exception of orangutans).

There’s a process from the beginning to the end, or acycle.  The cycle is called the menstrual cycle and it constantly begins and ends over and over again.  And depending on the mammal, which we are aswell, this cycle can be from 30 days to 35 days.

During this time, a female goes into “estrus” and this isthe period of time the egg is released and is ready to be fertilized.  If it isn’t fertilized, it gets “cleansed” out of the body, called menstruation ormenses.  This ends the cycle.

If the egg is fertilized, the female then begins to carry achild or offspring.  No more eggs arereleased until the female is ready to give birth again.

So knowing this about females, you can now understand whatyou may see at the zoo or in pictures. 

Female bonobos experience this cycle.  The first cycle begins between 6 - 11 years old. 

The sexual skin is the area of the “anogenital region”, or thearea of the genitals and anus.   The brain releases the estrus hormones andthis region begins to fill and expand. The reason is to let males know she is going to become fertile.  So what you see is just skin swelling.

It is NOT a fungal infection or cabbage or cauliflower.

It does not hurt her, it may be uncomfortable.  Sometimes in the forest it becomes sore fromhitting thorns or from insect bites just like any exposed skin.  Again, it’s just skin.

The process of her swelling, reaching maximum (estrus -release of the egg), inflating and finally menstruating is her cycle.   If you are at the zoo you will be able to see a female understand just by looking what part of her cycle she is in.  Rather than look at it as something ugly, you will understand what abeautiful thing this is and how important it is to the survival of the species.

Just because we wear pants and cover our parts, doesn't mean we have our own issues.  Imagine if we were naked for everyone to see...

The cycle begins with changes in hormonesassociated with estrus are released. 

Inflation or tumescence (six days) – swelling graduallyenlarges

Maximal tumescence (ten days) – full swelling, egg isreleased (15.2–20.1 cm)

Detumescence (five-six days) – gradually becomes flabby

Flat (14 days) – hanging as normal (9.8–16.5 cm)

So, for only fourteen days will she look to a human as“normal” – and 24 days she will have a swelling in her anogenital region.  It is a beautiful wonderful process.