High Ranking Female Baboons Essay

We humans tend to classify one another based on our social status, wealth and as well with many other attributes that play a part in classifying individuals. This ranking and classification is not always easy but with language it makes it easier. But for baboons who have no language how do they establish social dominance and ranking? Well based of what I read in this book they do it by what they observe, see and hear. They communicate with each other using verbal noises and facial expressions and by actions. Baboons are some of the most fascinating primates in the world. Baboons have a very complex social hierarchy. In their family structure they tend to classify one another based of rankings and social dominance. For example at birth an infant baboon will almost

immediately be incorporated with their social set up. They protect one another and look out for their troop members. And as the young baboon gets older the baboon would have developed certain behaviors and learned things from his or her mother and from other members of the troop. This young baboon will grow older and soon have a social dominance and rank of its own. Social dominance and ranks are important in baboon troops. Just like in any social structure having a person being in control is important. By having an individual be in charge of a population it provides some form of order and security. So you have both male and female baboons that have dominance over a specific troop. Dominance and rank has different meanings for male baboons and for female baboons. Most baboons like in this study normally have a complex social hierarchy among both males and females. Each individual in the group is ranked along with other baboons of the same gender. By doing this it limits any violence and complications within the population because every member of the group knows who is in charge, who they must obey and who must be obedient to them. You have top ranked alpha males and top ranked alpha females. All other group members must be obedient to them. A female baboon’s rank in hierarchy will stay with her during the duration of her life. But as for males they often will leave their group to and join others and when they do this they start at the bottom of the hierarchy again. For example “Saul was in a neighboring troop, a sub-adult there, when the two troops met by the river... Boopsie spotted the striking Saul: Saul spotted the slinky Boopsie and flashed his eyebrows at her, meaning roughly the same thing that it does among primates like us” (page 101-102). After that encounter Saul a male baboon left his group and joined Boopsies group. In female baboons they are often ranked in their terms of motherhood. This implies that a baboon who is fertile and has had a few baboons of its own that have survived will be on the top of the list and rank higher. This top ranked female baboon will be most desirable for the male baboons. A young female baboon that has reached adult age will be placed at the bottom of the list and be ranked lower and be seen as less attractive and desirable. Proof of this phenomenon is showed when Sapolsky says that “Very attractive to a male baboon usually means she’s had a few kids already who’ve survived (proving that she’s fertile and a competent mother), but not so old that her fertility is declining. In the case of such female, high ranking males compete ferociously, and number 1 is likely to be with her on her most likely day of evolution, number 2 for a day on either side of that, number 3 for a day on either side of that, and so on. Very young females, like Ruth and Esther, having their first few estrus cycles, were probably not yet fertile, and of little interest to the high-ranking males” (page 98).

Female baboons that rank high have a better quality of life then those who rank below. Being a high ranked female baboon has its benefits and a better quality of life. It allows them to pretty much do anything they want when they want within the group. They get first dibs on food and water. High ranking female baboons can hog food and water resources from lower ranking female baboons. These differences between high and low ranking female baboons is that in high ranking female baboons they get to have more benefits like in food and water and let’s not forget a better high ranking male baboon to mate with and as for the lower ranking female baboons they tend to get last dibs on food and water which could lead to malnutrition for them and their offspring’s and get a lower ranking male baboon to mate with they also suffer from higher level of stress. So unlike a male, a female baboon stays with her rank for the rest of her life. In comparison, dominance and rank for male baboons is heavily dependent on age and size. Male baboons dominate everyone that is typically smaller than they are. Higher ranking male baboons get first pick with mating with higher ranking female baboons. They

go off their order of ranking. This is explained in the previous paragraph where it explains how rank plays a part in how they mate and with who. For a male, having a higher rank means they are the alpha males and often have a higher chance of producing many offspring they do this by obtaining dominance in reproduction. Alpha males usually mate more often than lower ranking male baboons. Saul is a perfect example of dominance in reproduction. Saul fathered many baby baboons. He had relationships with almost every female in this particular group (page 103). This gives the impression that their social structure consist of a one male baboon with several females’ type of group. High ranked alpha males tend to prefer female baboons with high rankings. As mentioned in the previous paragraph female baboons get ranked by fertility and success of infants surviving. Alpha males like fertile experienced female baboons to increase their chances of having more offspring’s. I like to think of hierarchy as some form of a government so at any given time any person could challenge a certain individual to obtain their social status. Alpha male baboons often get challenged by other high ranking males. A male baboon could challenge another baboon to obtain a higher ranking, earning his respect and dominance within that group. “Alpha males, especially early in their tenure, will occasionally be challenged by other high-ranking males,” (page 102). Their response is usually ignoring the individual, giving them a threatening look, attacking them or chasing them down (page 102). Advancing and getting a higher ranking number in this baboon group is stressful. Adult males are always being challenged by other males and if they win they will take away their mates I would assume. These confrontations like any confrontation are usually non peaceful and involve some sort of violence and are extremely noisy. These fights can cause serious injuries due to baboons having big sharp teeth. Baboons will use their fighting ability as a form of showing male dominance. This factor is important in male baboons but not so much in female baboons. Male baboons who demonstrate greater fighting abilities will prove their dominance and obtain a much higher rank then other male baboons. The reasons that female baboons don’t really fight one another is simple they just don’t the only reason I would assume they will fight is if and when an intruder tries to enter their territory. Then they will feel threatened.