Some animal groups are led by dictators while others live in peace and harmony. These patterns teach us about dominance and cooperation, as well as leadership.
In the 20th century, human despots such as Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong and Idi Amin ruled through fear and violence. Surprisingly similar behaviors can also be observed in animals. Bill was a mouse that Peter Crowcroft, an ecologist in the 1950s, studied. Crowcroft studied Bill in a former World War Two Bomber Training Base, Suffolk, UK. Mice were being monitored there to determine their effect on food reserves.
It is not just mice that are despots. All mammals, including baboons and banded monkeys, have rigid social hierarchies where the dominant person controls resources and mating.
Some animal groups resist the tyranny. The northern muriquis monkeys of Brazil form egalitarian, peaceful communities. Both genetics and the environment influence dominance. We can prevent the abuse of power by studying societies like these.
Justin Varholick is a biomedical researcher who studied laboratory mice kept in small cages. He observed how social ranking can change depending on the composition of a group. Despotism can develop depending on the environment, demonstrating how social hierarchy is flexible.
Despotic behaviour in the wild can lead to serious consequences. In southern Africa, for example, male chacma Baboons who are high in rank lead groups of foraging baboons and intimidate the females as a way to regulate mating. Some high ranking females, however, show restraint and demonstrate that dominance doesn’t always equal cruelty.
Researchers can gain insights into leadership, collaboration, and the resistance of tyranny by studying animal hierarchy. These lessons are applicable to wildlife as well as human society.
