The Planet of the Apes franchise has been going strong since the late 1960s, but it plays fast and loose with science according to one primatologist. Based on the Pierre Boulle novel, Planet of the Apes concerns an astronaut trapped on a strange world inhabited by intelligent primates who treat humans like animals. While the original novel was a bit of political satire, the 1968 film adaptation leaned heavily on the science fiction elements and launched a blockbuster film franchise that has continued on for decades. Even after the original series ended, prequels arrived years later to restart the series.

2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes ditched the makeup and ape costumes of years past in favor of state-of-the-art CGI characters, and told a truly heart-wrenching story that was the kicking-off point for the entire fictional universe. A pair of sequels followed that explored the rise and fall of the chimpanzee, Caesar, and also chronicled the descent of humanity. The modern Planet of the Apes movies may eschew the cheesiness of their predecessors, but that doesn't mean that they're entirely scientifically accurate either.

The Planet Of The Apes Movies Get Bonobos Very Wrong

The Modern Planet Of The Apes Movies Aren't Fair To The Obscure Primate

In an interview with Wired, primatologist Tara Stoinski answered the internet's burning questions about primates, and the conversation naturally turned to the modern Planet of the Apes films. While Stoinski didn't spend too much time talking about the movies, she did hone in on one detail that the prequel series got consistently wrong about the ape species featured in the story. Referencing the villainous Koba, who becomes the principal antagonist in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Stoinski mentioned that his behavior is wholly unlike the behavior of his species, bonobos.

According to Stoinski, Koba's real-life bonobo brethren are actually some of the most peaceful of the great apes, and likely wouldn't be as violent as they are shown onscreen. Earlier in the video, Stoinski mentions that bonobos settle differences through sexual intercourse, and actually share food items instead of fighting over them. In the film, Koba is a cunning and calculated heel who is willing to betray ape-kind just to get a measure of revenge against the humans that hurt him. While it's difficult to say what a super-intelligent bonobo would do, they likely wouldn't show as much aggression.

Bonobos (Pan paniscus) are from the same genus as the chimpanzee.

The Planet Of The Apes Still Portrays Apes Accurately (Mostly)

Bonobos Are Misrepresented, But Other Apes Are More Accurate

Though the primatologist wasn't impressed by the portrayal of Koba's species in the modern Planet of the Apes movies, she did have plenty of good things to say about how the films represented the other great apes. Caesar is the primary protagonist throughout the first three prequel films, and Stoinski noted that his behavior is rather close to how a real chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) would act within his own social hierarchy. Chimps are patriarchal, and a dominant male will take control of a group and protect them while also fending off attacks on his dominance from other males.

Tara Stoinski does not comment about the accuracy of the portrayal of gorillas in the Planet of the Apes movies.

Stoinski also specifically comments on the character of Maurice, who is a Bornean orangutan (Pongo Pygmaeus). In the films, Maurice is portrayed as being calm and intelligent, and he is able to understand Caesar even before he is genetically modified. After the fact, Maurice becomes the wise elder of the ape village, and generally offers council to Caesar as leader. While his intellect may be exaggerated for the sake of the story, Stoinski states that orangutans are generally known for being quite smart. Their peaceful and placid nature also translated to the screen, unlike the similarly calm bonobo.

The Apes Being Genetically Modified Means They Can Get Away With Not Being 100% Accurate

It's Okay To Put The Fiction In Science Fiction When It Makes Sense

it also gives itself an escape hatch by introducing the mind-altering chemical that made them so smart to begin with.

While Stoinski's expert comments about the accuracy of the Planet of the Apes movies are interesting, she specifically notes that the primates are all genetically modified. This bit of sci-fi lore completely wipes the slate clean and divorces the prequels from needing to be completely accurate to the actual science of primatology. Even though the movies still do a decent job of properly characterizing the various great ape species, it also gives itself an escape hatch by introducing the mind-altering chemical that made them so smart to begin with.

Koba is entirely different from how a real-life bonobo would act in the wild, but it's important to note that apes are all capable of having unique personalities. While the average bonobo probably wouldn't be violent and vindictive, the writers also introduced a backstory for Koba that justified his revulsion toward humans. Koba's superior intellect comes with a cost, and it makes him cunning to the point of being dangerous to humans and other apes as well. This likely wasn't an attempt to make bonobos look dangerous, but to offer Caesar an emotional challenge.

The modern Planet of the Apes movies include:

Caesar is torn between two worlds, and Koba represents the repressed animal tendencies that he knows will haunt his new ape community. Koba is also a dark mirror for the tragic hero, who feels that level of rage and resentment toward humans burning within him, but is able to better control his anger. In the end, Planet of the Apes needed a primate villain, and it was necessary to show them not as they really are, but how they could be if the science in the movies was true.