Alpha male facts for kids

An alpha male is the top-ranking male in a mammalian social group.

Origin

Some animals live in a social structure where the most powerful male in the group is decided by either fights or very aggressive battles that sometimes end in death (in the wild). The current alpha male must defend his position from younger members. When he is too old or not strong enough to win, he loses his position in the group. Sometimes, he will die or be forced to leave the group.

The result of this is that the alpha male usually has more opportunity to mate with the available females. This system developed because strong males will produce young which have a better chance for survival.

Examples

Some animal groups which may have alpha males:

• Dogs, wolves
• Lions
• Apes: chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans
• Horses
• Deer

Humans

Alpha male can also refer to a high-ranked man in a human group. This may be in a business setting or sometimes in other competitive areas, like sports. However, this is an extension by metaphor: humans do not have the same mating system as other social mammals.

Images for kids

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  A high-ranking male mandrill advertises his status with bright facial coloration.

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  Wedge-capped capuchins have a clear dominance hierarchy

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  The effect of relative rank on stress hormone levels in savanna baboons

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  The bonobo is one of the few mammals with female-biased dominance.

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  Bottom-rank chicken showing feather damage from pecking by other hens

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  Eringer cattle competing for dominance.

See also

In Spanish: Dominancia (etología) para niños