So far, we’ve only talked about males, but what about females? Unlike male coalitions - which are often formed between unrelated individuals - female coalitions are usually between mothers and their daughters. Sometimes, this could be the starting point of a beautiful coalition. With a baby in their arms, they invite the other male to spend a peaceful moment together in close proximity, showing affection to the baby. This is usually practiced by low-ranking males when they want to approach another higher-ranking male, without being attacked by him. What other species of macaques do is use infants as a social tool to improve their relationships. Two Gombe chimpanzees provide care for each other. This practice helps them rise in the social ranking and, therefore, reproduce more with females. A recent study has shown that male monkeys who have sexual relations with each other are more likely to support each other in a conflict. On the island of Cabo Delgado, Puerto Rico, male macaques forge their alliances through homosexual sex. When a baboon lets another touch them, they’re engaging in an act of trust. This makes sense: the genitals are a very important part of the body for any animal, as they’re essential for transmitting offspring. papio) frequently touch each other’s genitals. There are other less common methods to strengthen links. Of course, this isn’t necessarily the case in all species. However, it wasn’t until 2006 that a meta-analysis corroborated the relationship between this generous grooming and coalition-building in primates. That is, they groomed others so that they would return the favor in the future, whether via more grooming, or offering support in case of an attack. It was in the 1970s when the hypothesis was proposed that primates used grooming as a form of currency. When a monkey grooms another in an inaccessible area of the body, such as the back, it’s sending a message. The most widespread system is that of grooming - an activity that consists of removing lice from each other. But the rest of primates don’t have such sophisticated language: they require other systems to know who their allies are. If the meeting has been fruitful, they shake hands and scribble on a piece of paper. To reach agreements, politicians meet in their offices and express their interests. If there’s a clear difference between human coalitions and those made by monkeys, it’s perhaps in how they are forged. This is reminiscent of the history of Spanish politics, where parties were forced to form more coalitions only after the two-party system weakened, and smaller parties began to pick up seats. Therefore, males don’t form coalitions, for the simple fact that there are too few of them. The researchers concluded that what was most important were socioecological factors, such as group size.Ĭhacma baboons live in smaller groups than other baboons. However, an academic article published in 2014 refuted this hypothesis by analyzing 38 species of primates. That is, only the most intelligent species are capable of establishing coalitions. What could be the reason for this? Well, some authors have pontificated that coalition-building is a complex behavior that requires advanced cognitive abilities. ursinus) - unlike other baboon species - only have antagonistic interactions with each other and rarely cooperate. The curious thing is that there are also quite a few species of primates who don’t create coalitions. However, there are also cases of revolutionary coalitions, in which partners seek to overthrow a monkey of a higher rank. Frequently, two high-ranking individuals team up against a subordinate to reinforce their position. This allows certain primates to access resources, such as food and females. The purpose of most primate coalitions is to bolster status in the hierarchy within the group. Some of these males associated so closely that they almost never acted independently.” That is, that two or more individual monkeys joined forces against rivals of the same species.Ī book on savanna baboons ( Papio cynocephalus), published in 1965, reads: “It became clear that some of the adult males were constantly associating with each other and supporting each other in aggressive interactions with other males. The first field research in primatology - conducted in the mid-20th century - quickly highlighted that monkeys formed coalitions. In nature, there’s a world that goes beyond pure competition. In these times of political negotiations, it’s pertinent to point out that the motto of “unity is strength” isn’t only applicable to human beings.
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