Previously based mainly on morphological similarities, the classification of living beings had to be revised following the discovery of DNA and the possibility of sequencing biological samples. The understanding of the filiation of species over the course of evolution has led to certain corrections.
Thus, it has become clear that the genus Pan, which includes chimpanzees (pan troglodytes) and bonobos (pan paniscus), is the closest to Homo.
> Gifted with significant cognitive capacities, these animals maintain very complex social relations facilitated by a great facial expressiveness that allows them to show their emotions. This proximity to humans, not only genetic but also behavioural, makes them a subject of particular interest in primatology and cognitive ethology.
> The following chapters are therefore devoted to the Bonobo, this species of ape discovered late in the early 20th century in which we are particularly interested.