These Female-Led Animal Species Prove Girls Run the Wild

As a great queen once sang in 2011, “women run the world.” This is true even in the animal kingdom, where females often lead the group. From insects to apex predators, female-led species are strong, capable, and essential to survival. In these packs, mothers, mates, and matriarchs are natural-born leaders. Of all the female-led animal species in the world, these seven are some of the most impressive.

Elephants

Elephant herds typically consist of family units ranging from three to 25 members. These herds congregate in groups and travel together with the matriarchs at the forefront. They consist of the mother, her sisters, her daughters, and their offspring. The oldest female member of the herd helps coordinate movements, rest times, and feeding. Each move is carefully thought out, with young and juvenile elephants following their female elders. The older the matriarch, the more knowledgeable she is of the terrain and survival.

Studies have shown that herds with older and larger matriarchs have a better chance at survival. More often than not, an older matriarch increases the survival rates of the herd based on her experience. During times of drought, elephant matriarchs lead their herds to well-known water sources. Older matriarchs are also known to move their herd away from uninhabitable lands in favor of a new home. This suggests a level of intelligence based on the experience of an elder, specifically a female with strong survival skills. Male elephants play a reproductive role after leaving the herd gradually between 10 and 20 years of age. Males travel solo or in fluid groups, and older males sometimes provide guidance to young bulls.

Honeybees

Bee colonies would not survive without the queen bee. The queen holds all the power within a hive, from production to food. While the worker bees typically call the shots, these do not exist until the queen decides they are needed. When it comes time to lay eggs, queen honeybees decide when to produce drones (males) and worker bees (females). She can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day and will produce many offspring during her lifespan of two to three years.

Besides the queen, the worker bees hold all of the secondary power within a hive. These females are responsible for the heavy lifting, including hive-building, foraging, and taking care of the queen’s offspring. When it comes to honeybees, females are essential to the survival of the entire species. In stark contrast, male drone honeybees have very little to do with the hive itself. Their sole role is to reproduce with the queen, maintaining genetic diversity within the colony. The number of drones produced depends on the health of the colony. The stronger the female bees are, the more capable the queen is of maintaining drone populations, which make up 10-15% of the bee colony. Once a drone mates with the queen, its life and purpose are effectively over.

Orcas

Female orcas play many roles within a pod of killer whales. They are typically matriarchal, with older, more experienced female orcas naturally taking the lead. Orcas are one of the most intelligent animals on earth, and matriarchs have additional life skills to influence their decisions. Females are highly revered within pods as teachers, offering generational guidance to their younger generations. Some orcas are even known to guide new mothers and their grandchildren.

Maternal instincts aside, female orcas are also fiercely protective of their young. New orca mothers protect their sons within pods, intervening in disputes before their offspring have a chance to fight. This could be a means of survival, with protective instincts ensuring their sons reach full maturity. Matriarchs are also responsible for the survival of the overall group. This means leading the pod to food sources, away from danger, and pushing reproduction among other members of the pod. The latter ensures pod stability, according to Naturalist Charters.

Bonobos

In troops of bonobos, females are seen as powerful animals. They often dominate within each party, especially those with a mix of both male and female bonobos. A recent study found that females typically rank higher within their troop than males. Roughly 85% of females united to challenge males within coalitions, paving the way to a higher social standing.

In the wild, females were found to win approximately 61% of their fights against males. About 70% of those males were outranked by the female bonobos that fought with them. However, the power of a female bonobo goes beyond their physical strength. They’re also known to form strong bonds with other females within their troop or party, some of which consist of only females. Within these groups, the eldest matriarch takes on the role of the leader. In all-male bonobo parties, the largest male often leads the group. While these males can infiltrate an all-female party in search of a mate, females are strong enough to fend them off when they’re uninterested. Surprisingly, males often follow the reproductive lead of a female.

Lemurs

In most primate species, females do not typically have a strong preference regarding reproduction. However, in lemur troops, females often choose when and with whom they mate. While males usually switch troops when they reach maturity, females remain with the same troop from birth. They are dominant within their group, even when it comes to food. When it comes time to mate, they also have the final say on who they choose for a partner.

Female lemurs display outward dominance over males, making sure the leader of their troop is clear. They often form bonds with other females within the troop, leading to stronger bonds with matriarchs. In the wild and captivity, these bonds can be seen when lemurs take part in grooming. Males primarily serve a reproductive role, with females deciding the timing and choice of mates. Since all-male lemur parties are exceptionally rare, they’re at the mercy of females for most of their lives.

African Lions

Male African lions might get all the attention, but females are responsible for the pride’s survival. They carry tremendous responsibility, including cub rearing, maintaining a hierarchy, protecting their offspring, and defending territory. Female African lions even hunt and are responsible for bringing in the bulk of the food within a pride. Groups of females often team up when taking down large prey, working together to coordinate their combined strength.

Females also stick together when it comes to defending their young. If cubs are threatened, multiple females are known to band together to fight off packs of enemies. They are fiercely territorial and allow nothing to stand between them and their future generations. Within one pride, you can often find mothers, daughters, and granddaughters, with multiple generations of female lions living together. Male African lions have some overlapping responsibilities, such as protecting the pride, defending territory, and cub rearing. Each pride typically has up to four males, or kings, whose job it is to help the pride reproduce and protect resources. Males may leave or be thrown from a pride every few years, but typically remain with their original female partners.

Leafcutter Ants

Honeybees are not the only insects with queens at the center of their colonies. Leafcutter ants have a similar hierarchy, with a queen that’s responsible for reproduction and order. Queen leafcutter ants are protected within the innermost chamber of the colony. The queen lays all of the eggs, producing female worker ants that build and forage. The queen can live an astoundingly long time, sometimes up to 20 years or longer.

Worker ants have equally important responsibilities within the colony. When they’re not building or foraging, they’re in charge of maintaining fungus gardens. This is where leaves are turned into a viable food source, providing sustenance for the entire colony. They also have the role of caring for young ants and ensuring they reach full maturity. When it comes time for reproduction, winged female ants participate in swarms. This is where they meet up with males, who have the sole role of mating. Once this happens, female winged ants become queens and start their own colonies.

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