Keeping the Order
Congo, Africa
Male chimpanzees engage in intense competition and form alliances to achieve and maintain their rank, with the alpha male at the top. More stable leaders tend to be those who also use kindness, fairness, and strategic political alliances to secure the support of other males and females. The male hierarchy is fluid, and the alpha male must constantly defend his position from challenges by younger, ambitious males. These challenges can involve aggressive displays, intimidation tactics, and forming coalitions to overthrow the current leader. Subordinate males show submission to a higher-ranking male through a ritualized call known as a "pant-grunt".
It was unclear to me what the chimp on the left did to provoke such anger, but the dominant male with the stick obviously means business. Ultimately, the situation resolved without violence. Point well-made I suppose.
Photo © copyright by Dr. Edward Mikol.
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