EFFECTS OF SPATIAL PROXIMITY AND ALLIANCES ON DOMINANCE RELATIONS AMONG FEMALE RING-TAILED LEMURS (LEMUR-CATTA) AT BERENTY-RESERVE, MADAGASCAR

In the present study, we describe a change in the dominance rank of th e top-ranking female in a wild troop of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catt a) at Berenty Reserve, Madagascar. After the top-ranking female fell t o the bottom-ranking position, she was able to outrank a low-ranking f emale with the support of her adult daughter or an unrelated high-rank ing female. These results indicate that, as in cercopithecine monkeys such as macaques and baboons, close proximity and alliances influence dominance relations among adult females in a wild troop of ring-tailed lemurs.