The fourth level of social structure in a multi‐level society: ecological and social functions of clans in hamadryas baboons

Amy L. Schreier · Larissa Swedell

171 citations0/0 files storedAmerican Journal of Primatology

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Primate Behavior and Ecology Animal Behavior and Reproduction Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior

Abstract

Hamadryas baboons are known for their complex, multi-level social structure consisting of troops, bands, and one-male units (OMUs) [Kummer, 1968. Social organization of hamadryas baboons. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 189p]. Abegglen [1984. On socialization in hamadryas baboons: a field study. Lewisburg, PA: Bucknell University Press. 207p.] observed a fourth level of social structure comprising several OMUs that rested near one another on sleeping cliffs, traveled most closely together during daily foraging, and sometimes traveled as subgroups independently from the rest of the band. Abegglen called these associations "clans" and suggested that they consisted of related males. Here we confirm the existence of clans in a second wild hamadryas population, a band of about 200 baboons at the Filoha site in lowland Ethiopia. During all-day follows from December 1997 through September 1998 and March 2005 through February 2006, data were collected on activity patterns, social interactions, nearest neighbors, band fissions, and takeovers. Association indices were computed for each dyad of leader males, and results of cluster analyses indicated that in each of the two observation periods this band comprised two large clans ranging in size from 7 to 13 OMUs. All band fissions occurred along clan lines, and most takeovers involved the transfer of females within the same clan. Our results support the notion that clans provide an additional level of flexibility to deal with the sparse distribution of resources in hamadryas habitats. The large clan sizes at Filoha may simply be the largest size that the band can split into and still obtain enough food during periods of food scarcity. Our results also suggest that both male and female relationships play a role in the social cohesion of clans and that males exchange females within clans but not between them.

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References

1974Observational Study of Behavior: Sampling Methods 1967Social Organization of Hamadryas Baboons 1982Life history of hamadryas baboons: Physical development, infant mortality, reproductive parameters and family relationships 1981Home Range and Daily March in a Hamadryas Baboon Troop 1973A Comparison of Anubis Baboons, Hamadryas Baboons and Their Hybrids at a Species Border in Ethiopia 1997Analysing animal social structure

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