Baboon matriarchs enjoy less stress

(Duke University) You know the type: Loud. Swaggering. Pushy. The alpha male clearly runs the show. Female alphas are often less conspicuous than their puffed up male counterparts, but holding the top spot still has its perks. Now, a study of female baboons points to another upside to being No. 1. A Duke University-led study of 237 female baboons in Kenya found that alphas have significantly lower levels of glucocorticoids, hormones produced in response to stress.