The Price of Power: Why Alpha Male Baboons Pay a Heavy Toll
New research reveals how dominance comes with energetic and physiological costs
Power at a Cost
In the complex societies of wild baboons, holding the alpha male rank is a double-edged sword. While alpha males enjoy privileges like mating success and dominance over their peers, the position comes with steep physiological costs. A recent study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B1, highlights how alpha males endure significantly higher stress and burn more energy than their lower-ranking counterparts.
Led by researchers from Duke University and Stony Brook University, the study provides a nuanced look at the lives of alpha baboons, revealing that dominance exacts a toll beyond frequent battles for status.
“Being alpha really has energy consequences,” said Laurence Gesquiere, the study's lead author and a research scientist at Duke University.
Hormones Tell the Story
The study builds on earlier research from 2011, which first observed elevated levels of glucocorticoids—stress hormones—in alpha male baboons. Glucocorticoids help animals mobilize energy in stressful situations, but chronically high levels can indicate prolonged stress.

For this follow-up, the team examined behavioral data collected over 14 years from 204 wild male baboons as part of the Amboseli Baboon Research Project in Kenya. They supplemented these observations with hormonal analyses of the animals' droppings, measuring glucocorticoids and thyroid hormone T3, which reflects metabolic rate and energy expenditure.
The results were telling. Alpha males consistently displayed glucocorticoid levels about six percent higher than their peers. At the same time, their T3 levels were significantly lower, suggesting they burned more calories than they consumed. This combination of stress and energy imbalance highlights the physiological price of maintaining dominance.
Not Just About Fighting
Interestingly, the research found that the energy demands on alpha males were not primarily driven by frequent fights with rivals.
“That was a big surprise,” Gesquiere noted.
Aggressive encounters, often assumed to be a hallmark of alpha status, did not significantly affect hormonal levels.
Instead, much of the stress and energy expenditure seemed to stem from the relentless effort to guard and monitor mates. Alpha males spend considerable time following their consorts, ensuring that other males cannot approach them.
“They’re essentially staking a claim, preventing other males from gaining access,” explained Susan Alberts, a professor at Duke University and the study’s senior author.
This constant vigilance often interrupts other vital activities, like eating.
“Imagine an alpha male starts foraging, but then the female gets up and walks away,” Alberts said. “He has to abandon his meal to follow her.”
The Long-Term Consequences
The demands of alpha status don’t just affect daily energy levels—they have lasting implications for health and longevity. Prolonged stress accelerates epigenetic aging, potentially shortening lifespans for these high-ranking males.
“While being high ranking has benefits for males in terms of mating and paternity success, our analysis demonstrates that it also imposes costs,” the authors wrote.
Yet, life isn’t necessarily easier for beta males or those lower in rank. While they may avoid the energy costs of alpha status, they face heightened psychosocial stressors, such as frequent harassment and reduced access to resources.
Survival in a Complex Society
Baboons’ social hierarchies are intricate, with trade-offs at every level. For alphas, the benefits of dominance come with a heavy price, while betas endure their own set of challenges.
The study underscores the complexity of social living in primates and offers a deeper understanding of how dominance and stress intersect. By continuing to explore these dynamics, researchers hope to uncover broader insights into the evolution of social behavior and its physiological impacts.
Related Research
Gesquiere, L. R., et al. (2011). “Life at the top: Rank and stress in wild male baboons.” Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.1207120.
Sapolsky, R. M. (2005). “The influence of social hierarchy on primate health.” Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.1106477.
Markham, A. C., et al. (2015). “Social rank and grooming reciprocity in wild baboons.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-1932-6.
Gesquiere, L. R., Adjangba, C., Young, G., Brandon, C., Parker, S., Jefferson, E. E., Wango, T. L., Oudu, V. K., Mututua, R. S., Kinyua Warutere, J., Siodi, I. L., Markham, A. C., Archie, E. A., & Alberts, S. C. (2025). Energetic costs of social dominance in wild male baboons. Proceedings. Biological Sciences, 292(2039). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.1790