{"id":679822,"date":"2025-07-13T22:15:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-13T19:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/alpha-males-are-rare-among-our-fellow-primates-scientists\/"},"modified":"2025-07-13T22:15:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T19:15:18","slug":"alpha-males-are-rare-among-our-fellow-primates-scientists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/alpha-males-are-rare-among-our-fellow-primates-scientists\/","title":{"rendered":"Alpha males are rare among our fellow primates: scientists"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a38443fee24f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a38443fee24f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/alpha-males-are-rare-among-our-fellow-primates-scientists\/#Battle_of_the_sexes\" >Battle of the sexes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/no-alpha-males-here-a.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/no-alpha-males-here-a.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"No alpha males here: A male black lemur pictured in the foreground, with a female behind him.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/no-alpha-males-here-a.jpg\" alt=\"No alpha males here: A male black lemur pictured in the foreground, with a female behind him\" title=\"No alpha males here: A male black lemur pictured in the foreground, with a female behind him.\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                No alpha males here: A male black lemur pictured in the foreground, with a female behind him.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>New research on Monday contradicted the commonly held idea that males dominate females among primates, revealing far more nuanced power dynamics in the relationships of our close relatives.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For a long time we have had a completely binary view of this issue: we thought that a species was either dominated by males or females\u2014and that this was a fixed trait,&#8221; Elise Huchard, a primatologist at the University of Montpellier in France, told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Recently, this idea has been challenged by studies showing that the truth is much more complicated,&#8221; said the lead author of a new study <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pnas.org\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.2500405122\" target=\"_blank\">published<\/a> in the journal <i>PNAS<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>The French-German team of researchers combed through scientific literature for interactions between male and female primates that revealed their hierarchical relationships.<\/p>\n<p>These included aggression, threats and signs of dominant or submissive behavior, such as when one primate spontaneously moved out of the way of another.<\/p>\n<p>Over five years, the team gathered data from 253 populations across 121 primate species, including a range of monkeys, lemurs, tarsiers and lorises.<\/p>\n<p>They found that confrontations between members of the opposite sex were much more frequent than had been previously thought. On average, more than half of these interactions within a group involved a male and a female.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/baboons-are-one-of-the.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/baboons-are-one-of-the.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Baboons are one of the species in which male dominance is particularly clear, the researchers found.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/baboons-are-one-of-the.jpg\" alt=\"Baboons are one of the species in which male dominance is particularly clear, the researchers found\" title=\"Baboons are one of the species in which male dominance is particularly clear, the researchers found.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                Baboons are one of the species in which male dominance is particularly clear, the researchers found.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Males clearly dominating females, which was defined as winning more than 90% of these confrontations, was only observed in 17% of the populations. Among this minority were baboons and chimpanzees, which are the closest living relatives to humans.<\/p>\n<p>Clear female domination was recorded in 13% of the primate populations, including lemurs and bonobos.<\/p>\n<p>This meant that for 70% of the primates, either males or females could be at the top of the pecking order.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Battle_of_the_sexes\"><\/span>Battle of the sexes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When male domination was particularly pronounced, it was usually in a species where males have a clear physical advantage, such as bigger bodies or teeth.<\/p>\n<p>It was also more common among ground-bound species, in which females are less able to run and hide compared to their relatives living in the trees.<\/p>\n<p>Females, meanwhile, tended to dominate over societies when they exerted control over reproduction.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/females-are-the-alphas.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/females-are-the-alphas.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Females are the alphas among the slender loris.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/females-are-the-alphas.jpg\" alt=\"Females are the alphas among the slender loris\" title=\"Females are the alphas among the slender loris.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                Females are the alphas among the slender loris.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>For example, the genitals of female baboons swell when they are ovulating. Males jealously guard females during these few days of their menstrual cycle, making sure that other competitors cannot mate with them.<\/p>\n<p>However in bonobos, this sexual swelling is less obvious.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Males never know when they are ovulating or not. As a result, (the female bonobos) can mate with whoever they want, whenever they want, much more easily,&#8221; Huchard said.<\/p>\n<p>Female dominance is also more common when females compete with each other, and when males provide more care for the young.<\/p>\n<p>In these species, females are often solitary or only live in male-female pairs. This means that monogamy is closely linked to female dominance.<\/p>\n<p>Can these results be extrapolated to our own species? There are a great many differences between humans and our fellow primates, Huchard emphasized.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/three-female-chimpanze.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/three-female-chimpanze.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Three female chimpanzees, which are one of the primates in which males dominate.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/three-female-chimpanze.jpg\" alt=\"Three female chimpanzees, which are one of the primates in which males dominate\" title=\"Three female chimpanzees, which are one of the primates in which males dominate.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                Three female chimpanzees, which are one of the primates in which males dominate.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>But we would broadly fall into the middle category in which neither males nor females always have strict dominance over the other.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;These results corroborate quite well with what we know about male-female relationships among hunter-gatherers, which were more egalitarian than in the agricultural societies that emerged later&#8221; in human history, Huchard said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-main__more p-4\">\n<p><strong>More information:<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHuchard, Elise et al, The evolution of male\u2013female dominance relations in primate societies, <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science<\/a>s<\/i> (2025). <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-doi=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.2500405122\" target=\"_blank\">DOI: 10.1073\/pnas.2500405122<\/a>. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.2500405122\" target=\"_blank\">doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.2500405122<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \u00a9 2025 AFP\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlpha males are rare among our fellow primates: scientists (2025, July 13)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 13 July 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-07-alpha-males-rare-fellow-primates.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-07-alpha-males-rare-fellow-primates.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No alpha males here: A male black lemur pictured in the foreground, with a female behind him. New research on Monday contradicted the commonly held idea that males dominate females among primates, revealing far more nuanced power dynamics in the relationships of our close relatives. &#8220;For a long time we have had a completely binary&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":679823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/no-alpha-males-here-a.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-679822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=679822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/679823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=679822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=679822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=679822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}