Most primates are arboreal, and the current context of habitat fragmentation makes gap- and road-crossing behaviors more and more common. Great apes may try to avoid behaviors such as arboreal leaping because given their size such behaviors are risky. Here, we report impressive gap-crossing by wild bonobos (Pan paniscus) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, induced by human disturbance and habitat fragmentation. We quantify the basic mechanics of leaps and arboreal landing performance in two individuals. The bonobos climbed a tree, 15 m high, and performed pronograde leaps between thin flexible branches, to grasp landing branches ca. 4 m further and below their starting point. They reached an instantaneous velocity of about 9 m · s−1. The bonobos used pendular swinging of landing branches to dissipate the kinetic energy built up during falling, requiring a grip force of about 2.5× body weight. Moreover, our results show that bonobos might be able to modulate the drag experienced during falling (up to 20% of body weight) by adjusting their posture. Apparently, bonobos evaluate the structural context to perform the best possible leap and balance the risks against the extra energetic costs involved. Further study of locomotor performance is needed to inform conservation planning, owing to the extent of habitat fragmentation due to human activities.

中文翻译：

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野生倭黑猩猩、 Pan paniscus 中令人印象深刻的树栖跨越行为

大多数灵长类动物都是树栖动物，目前栖息地破碎化的环境使得跨越间隙和穿越道路的行为越来越普遍。类人猿可能会尽量避免树栖跳跃等行为，因为考虑到它们的体型，这种行为是有风险的。在这里，我们报告了刚果民主共和国野生倭黑猩猩（Pan paniscus）在人类干扰和栖息地破碎化引起的令人印象深刻的间隙穿越。我们量化了两个人的跳跃和树栖着陆性能的基本机制。倭黑猩猩爬上 15 m 高的树，在细而柔韧的树枝之间进行顺行跳跃，以抓住着陆树枝。4 m 进一步和低于他们的起点。他们达到了大约 9 m·s-1 的瞬时速度。倭黑猩猩利用落地树枝的摆动来消散坠落过程中积累的动能，需要大约 2.5 倍体重的握力。此外，我们的研究结果表明，倭黑猩猩可能能够通过调整姿势来调节坠落过程中的阻力（高达体重的 20%）。显然，倭黑猩猩会评估结构环境以实现最佳飞跃，并平衡风险与所涉及的额外能量成本。由于人类活动导致栖息地破碎的程度，需要进一步研究运动性能以告知保护规划。倭黑猩猩评估结构环境以实现最佳飞跃并平衡风险与所涉及的额外能量成本。由于人类活动导致栖息地破碎的程度，需要进一步研究运动性能以告知保护规划。倭黑猩猩评估结构环境以实现最佳飞跃并平衡风险与所涉及的额外能量成本。由于人类活动导致栖息地破碎的程度，需要进一步研究运动性能以告知保护规划。