Adolescent Male Chimps in Large Community Strive to Be Alphas

ScienceDaily (Sep. 19, 2012) — An Ohio University anthropologist reports the first observation of dominance relationships among adolescent male chimpanzees, which he attributes to the composition of their community. Hogan Sherrow spent eight years studying the Ngogo community of chimpanzees in Kibale National Park in western Uganda. Ngogo is the biggest chimpanzee community on record, with more than 150 members and about twice as many males as found in other chimp communities across Africa.

Unlike their adult male counterparts, which have a well-documented dominance hierarchy, adolescent males have not been known to establish dominance relationships. During four field seasons between 2000 and 2004, however, Sherrow found that some adolescent males pant grunted to other adolescent males on a consistent basis. Research by Jane Goodall established that pant grunts are made by subordinate individuals to dominant ones, Sherrow explained.

Continued:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120920095326.htm