Dominance signal
Encyclopedia
A dominance signal is used in a dominance hierarchy
or pecking order
to indicate an animal's dominance
. Dorsal darkening has been suggested to represent a dominance signal in male tree lizards. Gorilla
s sometimes use chest-drumming as a dominance signal. Animals also sometimes use signals to indicate submission
.
Dominance hierarchy
A dominance hierarchy is the organization of individuals in a group that occurs when competition for resources leads to aggression...
or pecking order
Pecking order
Pecking order or just peck order is the colloquial term for a hierarchical system of social organization in chickens. It was first described from the behaviour of poultry by Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe in 1921 under the German terms Hackordnung or Hackliste' ...
to indicate an animal's dominance
Dominance
Dominance may refer to:* Dominance , an aspect of virtual inheritance in the C++ programming language* Dominance , in economics, the degree of inequality in market share distribution...
. Dorsal darkening has been suggested to represent a dominance signal in male tree lizards. Gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
s sometimes use chest-drumming as a dominance signal. Animals also sometimes use signals to indicate submission
Submission
Submission is the acknowledgement of the legitimacy of the power of one's superior or superiors.Submission may also refer to:* Submission/Submitter , an Islamic organisation...
.