An alpha male or alpha female is the individual in the community to whom the others follow and defer. Humans and their nearest species-relatives, the chimpanzees, show deference to the alpha of the community by ritualized gestures such as bowing, allowing the alpha to walk first in a procession, or standing aside when the alpha challenges. Canines also show deference to the alpha male in their pack, by allowing him to be the first to eat and the first to mate. Wolves are a well known example of this.
The status of alpha is generally achieved by means of superior physical prowess. However in certain highly-social species such as the Bonobo apes, the alpha can use more indirect methods (such as political alliances) to oust the ruling alpha and take his/her place.
Alpha is often used as an adjective to indicate the first or most significant occurrence of something, as in alphamale or alpha version.
Alpha was the first name used for a subtropical storm in the Atlantic tropical basin when these were named according to the NATO phonetic alphabet in 1972 and 1973.
Alpha is used in the Christian New Testament to refer to God as the beginning of all things.
Feeds |
Contact