Death of the Alpha: Within-Community Lethal Violence Among Chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains National Park
Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are capable of extreme violence. They engage in inter-group, sometimes lethal, aggression that provides the winners with an opportunity to enlarge their territory, increase their food supply and, potentially, attract more mates. Lethal violence between adult males also occurs within groups but this is rare; to date, only four cases (three observed […]
The role of an alpha animal in changing environmental conditions
The maintenance and development of conservation areas by grazing of large herbivores, such as Przewalski’s horses, is common practice. Several nature conservation areas house male bachelor groups of this species. When males are needed for breeding they are removed from the groups, often without considering group compositions and individual social positions. However, alpha animals are […]