Gender in the Wild: Three studies reveal new findings

      The passage mentions three studies, which focuses on how gender impact family relationship among wild animals.

      The first study done by Etosha national park in Namibia shows how gender influences elephant society. In the elephant society, young elephants are raised within extended matriarchal families. This means that young elephants bonds with her birth mother for guidance and protection. Unlike females, male elephants were previously known to be less social. However, males are alo known to make bonds with other males, consequently making rigid lines of authority in order to avoid conflicts.

      The Simen Mountains National Park conducted a second study of geladas revealing female primates with power. In the society of geladas, female ones have the authority to make important decisions, to choose  another male. When a family male becomes weak, the female gelada invites a bachelor male to take over, protect  the family.

      The last study covers gender driven play in chimps. It concludes that male and female animals in the wild also play in different ways. While young female chimps preferred to play with objects, which is a way of preparing motherhood or showing imagination, males showed interest in active play.