Question 1

What is life like as a dispersing male?

Accepted Answer

When a male baboon reaches 7 or 8 years old, he may leave his home troop and set out to find a new one – he becomes known as a ‘dispersing male’. This behaviour is vital for the overall health of the species, as it introduces genetic diversity into different troops, who otherwise would bear the brunt of inbreeding.

This quest puts the young male into an incredibly vulnerable position. For the first time in his life, he will be all alone, and without the protection of the troop. He has to find his way to a new troop, and is at risk of being labelled as a ‘rogue’ who becomes an easy target for those who don’t understand or sympathise with his situation. If he does find another troop, he may be rejected with or without violence. If he does find a troop who tolerate his presence, he will be without status, and will either need to fight to establish dominance, which can be extremely dangerous. Or he can create alliances and carve out a position where he may be able to mate opportunistically. Either way, it’s a lot of work and risk, with no guarantee of success. If he does successfully join a troop, he may be able to rise to the position of alpha with time, or he may decide to disperse once again, and look for something better. It’s estimated that only 10-30% of dispersing males successfully find a stable spot in a new troop.

Question 2

What is life like as a dispersing male?

Accepted Answer

When a male baboon reaches 7 or 8 years old, he may leave his home troop and set out to find a new one – he becomes known as a ‘dispersing male’. This behaviour is vital for the overall health of the species, as it introduces genetic diversity into different troops, who otherwise would bear the brunt of inbreeding.

This quest puts the young male into an incredibly vulnerable position. For the first time in his life, he will be all alone, and without the protection of the troop. He has to find his way to a new troop, and is at risk of being labelled as a ‘rogue’ who becomes an easy target for those who don’t understand or sympathise with his situation. If he does find another troop, he may be rejected with or without violence. If he does find a troop who tolerate his presence, he will be without status, and will either need to fight to establish dominance, which can be extremely dangerous. Or he can create alliances and carve out a position where he may be able to mate opportunistically. Either way, it’s a lot of work and risk, with no guarantee of success. If he does successfully join a troop, he may be able to rise to the position of alpha with time, or he may decide to disperse once again, and look for something better. It’s estimated that only 10-30% of dispersing males successfully find a stable spot in a new troop.