"Baboon Study Shows Benefits for Nice Guys, Who Finish 2nd" http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/15/science/15baboon.html?_r=1 So see, being second has its benefits too!
Hulu had a 13-episode series on a macaque gang in India, told like a docu-drama: http://www.hulu.com/rebel-monkeys The top monkey has it real rough. His duties include: - know everyone in the gang and keep an eye on them - lead the gang to sufficient food throughout the week - stop fights in the gang - lead the fight when another gang gets in their territory - fight the #2 guy in his gang because the #2 guy is always trying to knock him out of #1 spot - be smooth with the females so they accept him Then die in a couple years, #1 rarely holds on for longer than that. If he doesn't do those things, the gang loses confidence in him and runs away. I'm sure quite a bit of the series was clever editing and some story-telling, but still very interesting and could be close to the real story.