Dominance (ethology) - Establishment and Maintenance

Establishment and Maintenance

Dominance may initially be established by fighting, or simply by threatening displays or interchanges. Once established, however, dominance is usually maintained by agonistic (competitive) behaviours with aggression considerably reduced or sometimes absent. In the maintenance of dominance relationships, the behaviour of the sub-dominant animal is critical. If a dominant animal perceives its status is being threatened, it will likely threaten the sub-dominant individual. The sub-dominant must then either escalate the intensity of the interaction to challenge the dominant, or defer. In this way, it is often the behaviour of the sub-dominant animal that maintains the dominance relationship, rather than the dominant.