dominance hierarchy

noun

Animal Behavior.

1. a system or set of relationships in animal groups that is based on a hierarchical ranking, usually established and maintained by behavior in aggressive encounters: one or a few members hold the highest rank and the others are submissive to those ranking higher and dominant to those ranking lower.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dominance hierarchy¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

This comprehensive behavioral mapping revealed that mice exposed after birth to a traumatic event -- in the case of this study, being neglected by their mothers -- displayed a variety of behaviors indicating that they found themselves at the bottom of the dominance hierarchy.

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A previously offered explanation for these same-sex behaviors in primates is that they are a way to establish or maintain a dominance hierarchy.

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And male mice that are housed together establish a dominance hierarchy, with alpha males expressing more than 10 times as much testosterone as the submissive ones.

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In these cases, a dominance hierarchy arises, Mech adds, but it’s the animal equivalent of what might happen in a human prison, not the way wolves behave when they are left to their own devices.

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That dominance hierarchy scheme only applies to the male turkeys, though.

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