A lot of what we see in other mammals seems to apply to us—not only in such matters as the workings of the body: digestion, reproduction, respiration, and the like, but also in the workings of the mind. Many mammals are social, and social animals need rules to live by; if they don't, the species doesn't survive long enough to make a blip in mammalian history.
One thing we see in a lot of animals, including other primates, is a
social hierarchy, systems where some individuals dominate others. There are a variety
of subtypes. One type is where A dominates B who dominates C, and so forth. Another is
where an individual dominates all others, but the others are more or less equal among
themselves. In some systems, the subservient ones can join together and, as a group,
reign over the mighty one—the one who rules when the coalition fails to work together.
We, as primates, undoubtedly have inherited some social features from our earlier
ancestors. Ever wonder why you tend to fawn on the rich and powerful?
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.