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Pictured here is a low-ranking young female chimpanzee at Gombe National Park, Tanzania, who was wounded in a fight when she attempted to enter the female social hierarchy. Male and female chimpanzees achieve social status in dramatically different ways, says a new study by Duke University primatologists.
While male chimpanzees actively challenge their superiors to win higher rank, females accept their position in the social pecking order, waiting until more senior group members die before moving up the ladder. The research provides the first detailed look at how social status among wild chimpanzees changes throughout their lifetimes.Image credit: Ian C. Gilby
