Alpha (biology)

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"Alpha male" redirects here. For the professional wrestler see Monty Brown.

In social animals, the alpha male or alpha female is the individual in the community whom the others follow and defer to. Where one male and one female fulfill this role, they are referred to as the alpha pair.

Chimpanzees show deference to the alpha of the community by ritualised gestures such as bowing, allowing the alpha to walk first in a procession, or standing aside when the alpha challenges. Canines also show deference to the alpha pair in their pack, by allowing them to be the first to eat and, usually, the only pair to mate; wolves are a good example of this.

The status of the alpha is generally achieved by means of superior physical prowess. However, in certain highly social species such as the bonobo, a contender can use more indirect methods, such as political alliances, to oust the ruling alpha and take his/her place.

In humans, the alpha male often refers to a man who is powerful or high on the social ladder, similar to hegemonic masculinity. In Western cultures, the term is sometimes pejorative and describes a man who is overly masculine and should be feared. The term Omega male ( $ω$ -male) is an antonym often used in a deprecating or self deprecating manner to refer to males at the bottom of the social hierarchy.