Science Memes

11431 readers

1433 users here now

Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.

Rules

Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
Keep it rooted (on topic).
No spam.
Infographics welcome, get schooled.

This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.

Research Committee

[email protected]

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

1367

alpha (mander.xyz)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

118 comments fedilink hide all child comments

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

I've heard this debunk a lot over the years, and I don't disbelieve it, but is it not the case that one or two animals (wolves or otherwise) in a group will be the "bosses" or something close to being dominant over the others? Is all of that internal power struggling we see in groups/families of animals not really what it seems? Or is the "alpha" stuff different from that? Or does it only apply to wolves, and "alphas" do exist in other animal species?

Yours, confused and uneducated,

u/58008

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago

The behaviour initially exhibited and observed were of wolves in captivity (think prison). Once they were observed in the wild, the theory fell apart. Caged animals act differently, just like people.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-alpha-wolf-idea-a-myth/

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

You can sorta see the alpha thingamajig in hyenas. The chick with the biggest clit gets a possy of white knights trying to please her.

But it's not obligatory. Dudes just chilling together and biting asses can still happen without a chick to lead them on.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

Different social animals have different social structures. Wolves generally live in family units, led by the parents. Wasps and gorillas have complicated group politics, with alliances, betrayals and backroom deals. Some primitive ants have a 'might is right' system, with the strongest becoming the queen and fighting off challengers. Most ants have a highly democratic system, with decisions made using chemical 'votes' (cast by the workers; drones and queens don't have a say).