France, May 4 -- Female bonobos, one of the closest living relatives to humans, have a rare kind of power - they dominate males, even though they are smaller and physically weaker. Scientists say this is because they form alliances, helping them win most fights against their male counterparts.

Female bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo won 85 percent of conflicts with males over a period of 30 years, a study published this week in the journal Nature Communications Biologyfound.

American and German scientists studied six bonobo communities in the DRC, the only country where these great apes live in the wild.Coalition power

Female bonobos form quick, coordinated alliances - called coalitions - that give them an edge in conflicts ...