In the chimp world, when you are the boss, it means you can get away with a lot– well, everything. As the leader of the Cle Elum Seven, Jamie lets her feelings be known. When she doesn’t like something someone did, or the way they did it, it can lead to a fight (or a screaming match, which seems to be more common these days). So, to succeed as a member of the group, you must learn how to be a good politician, which first and foremost means how to be submissive to the (wo)man. As the least dominant member of the group, Annie is excellent at this. She is constantly referencing the other members of the group to make sure everyone is okay with whatever it is she is doing. Foxie is somewhere in the middle of the dominance hierarchy but tends to get away with a lot. She is the peacekeeper of the group and has a very close friendship with Jamie, but she still has to tread lightly, none the less.
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Chimp politics are fascinating! You can learn so much by just sitting and observing them. I saw submission, calling for back up, discipline from the alpha male at unfair treatment of another member and many other things at Chimp Eden. I also saw the alpha female of the adult group, who is also a peacekeeper, go after the boys for roughing up her girls for no reason. They are so incredible to watch!
I definitely couldn’t be a chimp — WAY too complicated for me!
love the shape of Foxie’s lips as she whimpers. Jamie let her have one but did it on the sly. No need to start a precedent of the other chimps asking for her treats.
How does Jamie show her alpha status to Negra? How are the elder chimps treated by alphas? Has Mr. B ever broken up an argument?
Hi Candy,
Negra doesn’t test the boundary with Jamie, though she receives great respect from all of the chimpanzees, which is why we refer to her as the Queen. She typically avoids conflicts. When there is a conflict, she’ll often go to another room or stay as far away as possible, though when the conflict slows down and begins to end, she’ll often give a loud pant hoot and stomp her feet, as if to say “Ok, that’s enough guys!”. I tend to think of her as the wise Buddha of the group. She’s not necessarily a good politician, which is why she’s not dominant, though she is wise enough to stay out of the drama. She has a special, though complex status in the hierarchy and Jamie seems well aware of it. Even though she is not dominant, she tends to get away with a lot more than the others, perhaps because Jamie knows she is not a threat to her status. However, age doesn’t seem to necessarily (or solely) reflect how one is treated by the alpha. Annie and Jody are the next two oldest chimps behind Negra, and are often very much involved in the conflicts and have to tread very lightly around Jamie. I haven’t ever seen Burrito break up an argument, and doubt that he ever has. He has a tendency to get very emotionally involved and sometimes struggles to calm himself down (we often see him face the corner or a wall and squint his eyes after conflicts in what appears to be an attempt to calm himself).
Jackie, that’s fascinating about Burrito calming himself down. I never would have imagined that! Thanks very much for sharing that! I love all the posts and comments about chimp behavior. I never get tired of how subtle and yet elaborate the dance is! -K