[Animals] 6 animals where females reign supreme

[-_-Moltres-_-]

 

These matriarchal groups are usually led by the oldest and wisest individuals. Female leadership has mostly evolved in mammals, which tend to live longer and have fewer offspring than other types of animals. Animals with female leaders are those where females have a disproportionate influence on the collective behavior of group members, according to a 2020 study in the journal The Leadership Quarterly. Female leadership takes a variety of forms. Females of some species, such as bonobos and spotted hyenas, rule by forging alliances and coordinating attacks against males, while others, like African savanna elephants and orcas, dominate through their wisdom.The African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest elephant species and the biggest terrestrial animal on Earth. According to WWF, these elephants roam across sub-Saharan Africa in family units composed of around 10 females and their young. Often, these family units join to form "clans" of several hundred elephants that are headed by a single female matriarch. This leadership role is usually assigned to the oldest and most experienced female of the group. The matriarch makes decisions about where the herd goes, how to respond to threats and crises, and when and where to settle down to sleep. She also leads the elephants to food and water, which is no small task, given that African savanna elephants require around 300 pounds (140 kilograms) of vegetation and up to 50 gallons (190 liters) of water per day to maintain their humongous size.But the matriarch's wisdom and authority do not necessarily make her an autocrat, according to the nonprofit organization Elephant Voices. Other members of the group can make suggestions and influence where the elephants move to, for example. There can also be conflict between females, and this sometimes bubbles over when the matriarch dies and leaves behind a power vacuum.

https://www.livescience.com/animals/animals-where-females-reign-supreme