animal’s social behaviors exposes humanity’s roots.

a pet monkey socially dominated a family. this monkey’s social climb tells us much about personal interactions and our society. a family told their story on a youtube video. they brought a monkey into their house essentially consisting of the mother, a daughter and a son.

the family was unaware that social order restructuring was about to begin. unbeknownst to the humans, the monkey was the master social engineer. the monkey began unpacking its primate social skills around the house. the monkey sized up what place it would have within the social structure and then began taking steps to achieve the goal.

the monkey identified that mother as the “alpha.” therefore, the goal was to get closer to the alpha. as such, the monkey embarked on a terror campaign. monkey targeted the son as the family’s most vulnerable member.

the monkey brought aggression and other anti-social behavior towards the son. it got to the point to which the son hated being in the house. eventually, he left for school.

during this first terror campaign, the daughter was spared. the monkey, now in third position in the house, had eyes on the daughter’s second position.

a second terror campaign was then unleashed. the monkey repeated its aggression and anti-social behavior on the daughter. her second position days were numbered…..the monkey was on its way to become the “second banana” in the family.

we, like monkeys, deal with social positioning and aggression.

in family life, wives having conflict with their mothers-in law. marriage, by definition, is a structural shift within two families to make a new one. in the business world, new law firm associates seek to become partner. to do so, they may seek to leap frog over other more senior associates. in greater society, we have certain groups seeking to move up the society’s power structure. to do so, they may direct aggressive behavior such as hatred, discrimination, and violence to achieve the goal.

the ten commandments are humanity’s answer to this unbridled social engineering. they act to curb societal aggression.

first, with one god, we have no need to jockey for social positioning. we all have access to god. with god as the “alpha”, we are all aware of what he demands. a number of them are within the ten commandments.

the commandments are about societal respect. the commandments concerning not using god’s name in vain and honoring one’s parents are restrictions.

the commandments are about limitations on social conduct. thus, prohibitions against murder, theft, lying, adultery, and coveting act to curb aggression.

thus, humanity has been provided the means to not act in unadulterated animal social structure. otherwise, as in the case of the monkey, the life in this world is simply about aggression, power, and moving to the top.

be well!!

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FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, CHIMPANZEE SOCIAL HIERARCHY IS AMAZING!

 0BY BRITTANY COHEN-BROWN ON JULY 10, 2018CONSERVATION, PRIMATES, SERIOUSLY GOOD FOR ALL

When Jane Goodall was offered the opportunity to go into the forests of Gombe to learn about chimpanzees, little was known about the these highly intelligent beings. What Jane learned in the sweltering forest of Tanzania would show the world that chimpanzees, like us, have an incredibly complex social structure. And also like humans, that social structure involves friends, enemies, and battles for power. Dr. Goodall and the Jane Goodall Institute’s continuous research of chimpanzees has revealed so much about our great ape cousins.

“Chimpanzee Freud was the alpha male at Gombe until his younger brother Frodo challenged him. “

Let’s start at the top: The highest-ranking chimpanzee in a group is the alpha-male. These males climb their way to the top of the chimpanzee hierarchy, and the ways they choose to do so can differ with the personality of the individual leader. Take two of the alpha males observed in Gombe, Frodo and Freud, for instance. Though they were brothers, each chimp had a very different leadership style. While Freud maintained control through fostering strong alliances and grooming those he wanted to keep under his command, Frodo relied heavily on aggression and brute strength. In addition to perks like mating rights, and duties like patrolling territory and breaking up fights, an alpha male always needs to be watching for the next chimp who will try to take his place.

Below the alpha are several other males with whom the alpha may have complicated relationships. The alpha will have friends in his coalition, who helped him gain control and are helping him maintain power. These could be playmates from his juvenile years, brothers, or new friends eager to increase their own social status through friendly contact with the alpha male. However, there also maybe be a chimpanzee or a coalition of chimpanzees who want to overthrow the alpha and install a new chimpanzee in his place.

Wounda with Hope at Tchinzoulou island

Females also have a hierarchy within chimpanzee groups, led by the alpha female (though overall, an alpha male will almost always outrank an alpha female). The alpha female isn’t as likely to obtain rule through aggression and violence as a male would be, but instead through relationships and personality. This isn’t to say that alpha females are devoid of aggression…they have shown that they sometimes use force when displeased by lower-ranking females. Higher ranking females will generally be more successful in reproducing and gaining access to food sources. Interestingly, the offspring of higher-ranking females tend to achieve a higher status themselves than chimps born to lower-ranking mothers. This may become the case for Wounda’s daughter Hope, on the Tchimpounga sanctuary island of Tchindzoulou!

One of the most amazing observations Dr. Goodall made regarding chimpanzee society was the Gombe Chimpanzee War, a four-year-long war between two chimpanzee communities in Gombe. During this conflict, eight adult males from one community killed all six males in another community and gained their territory, only to quickly lose it once faced with another chimpanzee group that was bigger and had more males. Subsequent research has shown that other chimpanzee groups are capable of this type of warfare, often started by conflicts over territory and/or mating rights. Learn more on our wiki here. 

Ferdinand, Gombe’s now former alpha male.

Much of a chimpanzee’s life, especially male chimpanzees, is dedicated to climbing up or being knocked down the chimpanzee social ladder (read about the ‘Fall of Ferdinand’ here). Those on top need to fight to stay at the top, and those at the bottom need to find a way to improve their lot if they want a chance at fathering offspring and access to the best resources. This, however, is only one component of the complexity of chimpanzee behavior, as they also demonstrate altruism, share resources and knowledge with one another, and build strong friendships. It seems there is always more to learn about these perplexing primates!

From Dr. Goodall’s observations at Gombe made decades ago, to research being conducted in the same forests as you read this, we continue to delve ever deeper into the motivations and intricacies of chimpanzee society. In this way, we will continue to celebrate our closest cousins!

To celebrate World Chimpanzee Day, learn more and get involved here