{"id":36300,"date":"2019-10-31T22:10:49","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T19:10:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prohoster.info\/blog\/long-live-the-king-zhestokij-mir-ierarhii-v-stae-brodyachih-sobak\/"},"modified":"2019-10-31T22:10:49","modified_gmt":"2019-10-31T19:10:49","slug":"long-live-the-king-zhestokij-mir-ierarhii-v-stae-brodyachih-sobak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prohoster.info\/en\/blog\/news\/long-live-the-king-zhestokij-mir-ierarhii-v-stae-brodyachih-sobak","title":{"rendered":"Long live the king: the brutal world of hierarchy in a pack of stray dogs","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Long
\n
\nIn large groups of people, a leader always emerges, whether consciously or not. The distribution of power from the highest to the lowest levels of the hierarchical pyramid has several advantages for the group as a whole and for individual members. After all, order is always better than chaos, isn't it? For thousands of years, humanity in all civilizations has implemented hierarchical power structures in various ways and based on diverse aspects\u2014from physical strength (army) to spiritual enlightenment (church). Among social animals, the formation of hierarchy is also observed, but it typically consists of only two levels\u2014the leader and everyone else. In the case of dogs, there are more levels, and the relationships between members of each level drive the entire pack. <\/p>\n

Today, we will explore the study of hierarchy within a pack of stray dogs, which researchers from the University of Exeter (England) spent a whole year investigating. How do pack members relate hierarchically, which levels are in open conflict, and how significantly do internal conflicts negatively impact the integrity and well-being of the pack? This and more will be revealed in the report from the research group. Let's go.<\/a><\/noindex><\/p>\n

The foundation of the research<\/h3>\n

\nThe main aspect of this study, as you have already understood, is hierarchy, specifically the hierarchy of dominance\u2014a system of submission and dominance within animal groups.<\/p>\n

Such social behavior is not rare among animals of various species. As I mentioned, if there is a group of individuals, there must be a leader. This statement is not a scientific axiom, but it occurs quite frequently in practice. Consider simple domestic chickens. If you've ever fed chickens, you may have noticed that they seem to peck at the grain haphazardly, following the principle of \"first come, first served.\" The only obvious thing is the presence of an alpha male (the degree of dominance is denoted by letters of the Greek alphabet, from alpha to omega). However, in the case of chickens, there are not just two levels\u2014an alpha male and everyone else. In reality, the hierarchy is quite broad and includes an alpha female, a beta female, and so on. During feeding, the alpha male pecks at the grain first, followed by the alpha female, and so forth in order of rank. <\/p>\n

In theory, the existence of an alpha male and an alpha female within the social hierarchy of animals has both proponents and opponents, who believe that we are merely projecting human traits onto animal groups. Nevertheless, hierarchy exists, and it can be quite complex and confusing.<\/p>\n

Identifying a leader among chickens isn\u2019t particularly difficult. In many groups, leaders exhibit a certain degree of aggression towards subordinate individuals. However, this is not a universal practice. In some groups, leaders do not wish to enforce strict control but still maintain their status. <\/p>\n

Researchers note that theoretical attempts to explain differences in patterns of agonistic (aggressive) behavior involve hypothesizing about the functions of aggression, dominance, and submission. <\/p>\n

If aggression is applied to directly harm a competitor and to overcome them, while submission demonstrates a lack of motivation to compete, it can be assumed that such a model involves an uneven distribution of competitors (dominant and subordinate).<\/p>\n

Most models of dominant aggression are built on the fact that hierarchy within a group is always stable. However, aggression-submission models may reflect instability or changes in social relationships within the group, which can lead to changes in hierarchy. <\/p>\n

Hierarchical relationships within a group can be divided into two main models, where there are three active groups (A, B, and C):<\/p>\n