Title Chimpanzee Politics
Author Frans de Waal
Year Published 1982
Kind of Book Science/Evolution/Politics
How strongly I recommend it 9/10
My Impressions I really enjoyed this book. Since the conclusions are mostly based on de Waal's observations of one Chimp colony, all the finding must be taken with a grain of salt, however, putting the information into a narrative with different "characters" really made learning about chimp hierarchies and politics palatable.
Date Read December 2021
What question is the author trying to answer?
What customs, rituals, and "rules" allow Chimpanzee societies to function?
Big Ideas
When Chimpanzees are held in unnatural environments they become bored
Chimpanzees are more like to masturbate when they are bored
Chimpanzees in unnatural environments masturbate more than they do in the wild
The Alpha male of the group can't impose his leadership without the help of other apes in the group
Physical strength is only one of several ways Alpha Chimpanzees wield power
Strong social ties are more important than physical strength in determining which Chimpanzee is the Alpha of the group
Chimpanzees playact behavior to manipulate on-lookers
The subordinate male chimp (beta) will greet the dominant male chimp (alpha)
When the subordinate male chimp (beta) stops greeting the dominant male chimp (alpha) it is a sign that he will likely try to overthrow him as the leader of the group
Greetings between chimps are a way for the Alpha to be reassured that his position is safe
Male chimpanzees compete against other males in the group for dominance
But
Male chimpanzees will put aside their grievances with other males in the group in order to fight against an outside group of chimps
The Alpha Chimp will commonly come to the aide of the underdog in any conflict
When the Alpha assumes the control role there is more peace and less conflict
When there is more peace and less conflict in a group of chimps, it is less likely that there will be a change in power amongst Alpha Males
When the Alpha chimp helps the vulnerable chimps when they are under attack, they are likely to help him when he is under attack
The rank of the male chimp in the heirarchy is generally correlated to their access to mates
Higher ranking males tend to chase away lower ranking males who are trying to have sex with females
Females sometimes turn down sexual offers from lower ranking males for fear of being caught by a higher ranking male (though will often have sex with the lower ranking male in private)
Female jealousy typically only occurs in pair-bonded species
We tend to place too much attention and importance on the recent history (as compared with all of human history)
Chimpanzee political activity is very similar to human political activity
Surprising Facts
Chimpanzees and Orangutangs are able to recognize themselves in a mirror (other monkeys can not)-Gordon Gallup experiment
When Jane Goodall's team in Tanzania fed Chimpanzees bananas, aggressions increased sharply.
Chimpanzees know how to use keys and sometimes try to fish keys out of their keeper's pockets
Chimpanzees weigh the same amount as humans, but are much stronger
Wild chimpanzees are not aware that they are much stronger than humans and many learn to fear humans because of their weapons
Chimpanzees bare their teeth when they are frightened or distressed
Sometimes female chimpanzees who are being threatened will sit down beside or behind the most dominant male for protection
Chimpanzees do not point with their finger, but with their whole hand.
Minutes After a fight, male chimpanzees will rush towards each other; kiss, embrace, and groom one another.
Minutes after a fight, bonobos will rush towards each other and have sex or mutual genital contact //ie. make up sex
Male Chimpanzees often start their sexual advances by sitting with their legs wide apart revealing their erection
Less physical powerful male chimpanzees will sometimes sneak off with a female and have sex behind a tree when the Alpha male is not looking.
One female chimpanzee from the group Frans Du Waal observed would have loud screaming orgasms whenever she had sex with the alpha male, but silent orgasms when she had secret sex with one of the less physically powerful males of the group.
Masturbation is common amongst male and female chimpanzees in captivity
Some female chimpanzees have been observed to show lesbian tendencies ie. Only copulating with females and males when forced
Some chimpanzee Mothers will reject one of their babies and leave it to die
The subordinate male chimpanzees and females will sometimes bow to the Alpha male or bring him gifts (leaves and sticks), or kiss his feet or hands
A quarrel between 2 Male chimpanzees normally escalates of several minutes. There is an escalation of hooting, heckling, swaying upper body movements, and then finally a physical attack if neither backs down. //sim. Monkey Dance in humans
Quarrels between female chimpanzees do not have the slow escalation that is characteristic of male quarrels. Female aggression is more impulsive.
Out of all the confrontations between two male chimps; Only about 1 in 100 conflicts leads to an actual fight
Male chimps have large incisor teeth (canines). Females do not
Male chimps will rarely use their large canine teeth to bite others, but will much more regularly flash them at others to warn them that they are capable of using them //sim. To flashing a knife at someone
Social mammals typically live in groups of several females, but few adult males
Male chimps tend to groom each other during periods of tension. "Grooming peaks between pairs of males coincided with periods during which the relationship between them was unstable." pg.105
When female chimps are in estrus, they mate 1x every 5hours pg.151
Male chimpanzees are most interested in mating with mature females
As soon as a female chimpanzees genital swelling goes down, males lose interest
Sex between Chimpanzees last less than 15 seconds and consists of a few deep, powerful thrusts
"If a young female [chimp] has invited her partner to mate but been refused, she may well return to him after a short time, push his legs apart, and carefully feel his penis. Sometimes it is flaccid, but usually there is nothing visible at all, because chimpanzees can sheath their penises. If this insistent fondling of his genitals is repeated to often, the male gets fed up and moves away from his mate. The female may then throw herself down on the ground screaming in despair and have a tantrum."
Male Chimpanzees can sheath their penises
"The young females [chimps] cannot know who their father is, but they avoid fertilization by possible fathers by refusing to make with males who are both old and familiar." pg.161
The Alpha Male chimpanzee is typically involved in 3/4 of all matings pg.162
Chimpanzees will rarely mate if the female doesn't want to. Persistent male chimps will usually be chased away by other females. Pg.169
Unknown Terms
Politics: a social process of determining who gets what, when, and how -Harold Laswell
Ethology: The are of study in which scientists observe animals acting spontaneously in their natural environment. If they do conduct experiments they are never detached from their field work.
Playacting: a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive. Eg. A soccer player pretending to be hurt after a foul to win sympathy of the fans and a penalty of the referee.
Female Subgroup: A group of female chimpanzees in the group who look after one another's children and support and comfort one another when there is trouble.
Loser-Supporter: A third party who joins in a conflict to help the side of the party who otherwise would have lost.
Control Role: When the Alpha Male of the group sets himself up as the loser-supporter ie. He comes to the aide of the underdog in any conflict. This creates a state of peace in the group