CHIMPE EGALITE

De Waal fi nds that, especially among primates, dominance hierarchies are variable in their degree of despotism. Rhesus monkeys, for example, are despotic, and any challenge from below is severely punished. Chimpanzees, however, are quite diff erent: “Even though we cannot go so far as to call chimpanzees egalitarian, the species has certainly moved away from despotism toward a social arrangement with room for sharing, tolerance, and alliances from below. Although high- ranking individuals have disproportionate privileges and infl uence, dominance also depends to some degree on ac ceptance from below.”  It is even possible for a co ali tion of females to oppose an alpha male who is acting too harshly, and, because other males have their own reasons not to come to his rescue and females are large and strong enough that several of them can subdue a single male, the alpha has little choice but to back down.