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Explanation of the behavior of a specific baboon troop that changed its culture from being argumentative to being more relaxed to succeed in understanding behavior. Also refer to aggressive, meek, sickness, nurturing, grooming, dominant females, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions

Baboon Troop Changes Its Culture

by Ron Kurtus (7 May 2005)

Different groups within an animal species will sometimes develop their own unique cultural traits or ways of behaving. One illustration of this happened when disease removed aggressive males from a baboon troop in Kenya, Africa. The remaining baboons developed a new culture or group behavior that was different from most other baboon groups.

Questions you may have include:

• What do animals teach their young?
• What cultures do orangutans have?
• Do other animals have cultures?

This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz near the end of the lesson.

Aggressive baboons died

In the 1980s, a troop of olive baboons--a subspecies of savanna baboons--in Kenya, Africa was ruled by a number of dominant males who were quite aggressive. Their society was argumentative and truculent, which seems typical from observations of baboon groups. It was assumed that this behavior was genetic and universal among all baboons.

One day, these aggressive males fought with a group of males from another troop over who would be able to forage through a tourist lodge garbage dump. Unfortunately, they ate discarded meat that had been tainted with bovine tuberculosis. Soon afterwards, all those males died.

Females took over

The remaining males were relatively meek and did not participate in the fight and garbage dump raid. They were now in charge of the troop. But they also were overshadowed by the more dominant females in the troop for the true leadership. These females preferred to use affection and mutual grooming to maintain troop unity. The culture of the troop became more relaxed, with a minimal amount of fighting and aggressive actions.

Culture ingrained

Later, when outside males joined the troop, the culture had been so ingrained that the new members were convinced to follow along in this unique behavior or social ethos of the group. In general, there was much less stress in this society than in similar baboon troops where aggressive behavior was the rule.

Summary

Baboon society is typically argumentative, especially when rules by aggressive males. Decimation of the aggressive males in a specific troop of olive baboons in Kenya, allowed dominant females to take over the leadership. They developed a new, relaxed culture that was unique to baboons. This culture became ingrained in the troop, even when new members joined it.

Answers to Readers' Questions | Where can you go from here?

Every group can change for the better

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Mini-quiz to check your understanding

1. Why were baboon thought to be genetically argumentative?

2. Why didn't the remaining male baboons take over?

3. Why didn't the new males to the group change the culture?

If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a Champion in Understanding Behavior. If you had problems, you had better look over the material again.

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Baboon Troop Changes Its Culture