9781422280645

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Everybody Is Shy (Sometimes!)

these communities are stratified , meaning that some in the community have more power and some have less. At the top of this hierarchy are alphas , the ones below are called betas , and the least powerful animals in a given group are called omegas . Wolves and dogs are commonly used as an example of this stratified system—in fact, that’s where the expression “top dog” comes from. The alphas are often the most aggressive members of any community, and they generally get everything first. For instance, alphas get to eat first, while the rest of the group has to jockey for position to get what’s left over. But that doesn’t mean life as an alpha is always easy. Alphas have to keep an eye out on those betas, who may threaten their position at the top of the social pyramid. Whenever animals live in groups, they have to pay attention to one another. Sometimes the attention is good, such as when parents take care of their young. Sometimes the attention is not so good, such as when a beta decides to fight an alpha for the top position. Either way, having social awareness— the instinctual understanding of the pecking order and one’s place in it—is vital. Humans are extremely social animals. For many thousands of years, we have depended on each other for survival. We worked together to find shelter, gather food, and keep each other safe from predators. Our ancient ancestors learned to care about the

Educational Video Watch this video for more about social organization in the animal kingdom.