Signs of Democracy Seen in Typically Authoritarian Baboon Society

When it’s time to travel, wild olive baboons make democratic decisions about where to go, even though they live in hierarchical societies. The discovery is a surprise, researchers report online today in Science, because large, alpha males typically get their way—pushing subordinates aside to get food or mates. But when choosing where to travel, a baboon’s social rank or sex is irrelevant, perhaps because the decision affects the entire group.

Read the full article here. 

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