Low-status chimps revealed as trendsetters
In experiments, apes were more likely to copy subordinates than alpha males
APE ME Low-ranking chimpanzees in a captive colony, represented here by a female named Angie, were more successful at spreading a trained, rewarding behavior to other group members than alpha males were, a new study shows. The finding points to the complexity of chimps’ social lives.
Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research