Agonism, ranking, and the social behavior of adult male baboons

Abstract

An ingrained technique in primatological analysis is to rank individual animals in a hierarchical system that is usually but not always based on the outcome of agonistic encounters. An explication of group structre and function is then sought by correlation these rankings with aspects of behavior. When the behavior of the adult males in a free-ranging troop of olive baboons is examined, ranking is found to be inadequate to represent the behavioral variability existing between individuals. The relationships maintained by these animals is analyzed, emphasizing amounts of time devoted to specific activities, and it is recommended that affiliative rather than agonistic behavior be stressed in future studies.