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| image via Wikipedia |
Aggression is used by various animals to acquire resources
such as food. Researchers on the African savannas commonly enjoy keeping track
of which hyenas killed a wildebeest, which lions took the carcass from them (or
vice versa), and which jackals and vultures competed to snatch a morsel before
being chased away. These forms of animal battles create a spectacular scene to watch.
Most creatures do not generally clash in this way. The wildebeest being beaten
over didn't, in life, stage bloody battles with other wildebeest over which
among them would graze a plot of grass.
Competition requires lots of energy, and many species seem
to minimize such conflicts. In some animals there are postures of surrender
that tame the aggressor of the like species. The monkey faces away, the wolf
rolls over, and the assailant ceases. What does an attacker experience whose
assault is stopped in this action? For many animals the creature potentially to
be its closest competitor, to want the same foods or similar nest sites, is one
of its species, in a few cases, its own partner. Research remarks that size
variation in some species adds to the survival advantage. For example, a female
osprey is larger than her mate; they gather fish of various sizes, which lowers
rivalry between them, increasing their collective food supply.
It has been observed that parrots seem to enjoy having
enemies. This could in a way, boost flock solidarity, prevent interbreeding
between species, strengthen the pair bond, or hold other valuable
function. In chickens, there is such a
thing called "pecking orders," ethologists have observed these behavior
in many flocks. This behavior is now identified as dominance hierarchies.
The notion of dominant and submissive animals has obtained a
growing popularity in species in the same way as the idea that aggression is
valuable as it helps a creature dominate.
In subsequent years the dominance hierarchy idea became more
questionable, with a couple of scientists postulating if such hierarchies are
genuine or merely a product of human perception. It is worth taking note that
among wild flocks, chickens do not organize strict pecking orders as they do in
poultry farms.
© 2012 Athena Goodlight
