This month at Atmos, we’re celebrating women and femininity. As such, I decided to do some digging into examples of female leadership in the natural world. Out of the approximate 5,000 species of mammals known to exist, a recent study identified 76 that show leadership. Unfortunately, their findings were familiar; within that group, they found only a handful with females in charge. And yet, these species are among the most renowned and revered by humans—each with something they can teach us about the power of putting women at the top.

African elephant herds are matriarchal, meaning that female elders hold the leadership positions. Females don’t even have to contest their positions with males, who live completely separately. Knowledgeable older elephants, known for their long memories, will lead the herd to water during droughts. Similarly, orca whale pods are led by mothers and grandmothers who have been known to teach their extended family members where to hunt and find salmon. In both species, we can see that matriarchal mammals thrive because they follow the wisdom of older females.

Read more at: https://atmos.earth/ecological-wisdom/climate-feminism-animals-with-female-leaders/