Alpha Females
The alpha female is the highest-ranking female in the community who gets preferred access to food and resources because of her status. Female chimpanzee dominance may not be as intensive as males but females have a hierarchy. Unlike males, females can inherit their status from their mothers or move between communities and rise up the pecking order. In the Kasakela community, Flo was a high-ranking female. She had access to food and good sleeping sites. Her eldest daughter Fifi also became a high-ranked female. Fifi inherited her status from birth because her mother was a high-ranking female. Fifi became the alpha female in the community and her daughter Fanni also became a high-ranking female. Female dominance in chimpanzees can change but is usually stable. Gremlin's mother Melissa was a high-ranking female but lower in rank than Flo and later Fifi. Gremlin fell to the bottom of the pecking order after Melissa died.
Read more about this topic: Kasakela Chimpanzee Community
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