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for the first time in 70 years, a female became the leader of local monkeys

A 9-year-old female Japanese macaque battled for power in a pack with her mother and four males. In the end, she came out victorious in a hierarchical struggle, but now her power is threatened by a period of mating.

A young female who lives in a nature reserve in southern Japan has taken control of a herd of 677 Japanese macaques. This monkey became the first leading female in the 70 years of the reserve’s existence. But now her power is under threat, because the mating season has begun and the female leader can be overthrown by the male who cares for her, reports Live Science.

A coup has taken place in a Japanese nature reserve called the Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden. A 9-year-old female Japanese macaque named Yakei became the leader of a pack of 677 macaques.. In the struggle for power, she defeated her mother, as well as four males. The most important victory of Yakeya was the overthrow of the leader of the pack – the 31-year-old male Nanchu, who led the macaques for the past five years. For the first time in 70 years of the reserve’s existence, a female became the leader of a flock of macaques.

A tough struggle for power is familiar to Japanese macaques. But it’s very rare for a female to take the lead, says Yu Kaigaishi, a researcher at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.




Japanese macaque


Photo: wikipedia

Japanese macaques have a strictly hierarchical community. Animals of a higher rank get more access to food and can choose any partners for mating. For example, the rank of a male is determined by how much time he spent in a certain pack, given the fact that after reaching puberty, macaques leave their home pack. Females are always ranked lower than their mothers. Sometimes macaques can seize power in a flock by force, but this is mainly done by males.

According to Kaigaishi, the female takeover came as a complete surprise to scientists. After seizing the “throne”, the macaque even began to show traditionally masculine behavior.

But now Yakeya’s stay in power is in jeopardy. The mating season began and the female was courted by an 18-year-old male named Luffy.

“I noticed that Yakei is looking at Luffy with fear, he is already starting to even take food from her,” says Kaigaishi.

The reserve staff say that the male may end up throwing Yakei out of his pack leader position. But while the female does not give in to the courtship of the male and clings to power. So it is not known how this story will end, scientists say.

We remind you that in India there are angry monkeys 250 dogs were thrown from rooftops in revenge. According to local residents, dogs are dragged to the roofs of buildings after one of the roaming packs mauled one of the monkey cubs.

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