Wolves are very social animals. They live in a family unit called a pack. There are lone wolves, but they are rare.
Packs range in size from two to over twenty wolves. Most packs in the continental United States have six to eight wolves, while packs in Alaska and Canada generally range from ten to twenty wolves.
Within each pack is an elaborate hierarchy. It may consist of a single breeding pair, the Alpha male and female, a lower group consisting of non-breeding adults, each with its own ranking, a group of outcasts, and a group of immature wolves on their way up. A few of the younger wolves of the pack may leave to find vacant territory and a mate.
Individual wolves in a pack play different roles in relation to the others in the group. The parent wolves are the leaders of the pack - the alpha male and alpha female. (Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet.)
The alpha male and female are the oldest members of the pack and the ones with the most experience in hunting, defending territory, and other important activities.
The other pack members respect their positions and follow their leadership in almost all things. Normally the alpha wolves are the ones to make decisions for the pack when the group should go out to hunt or move from one place to another.
The other Pack members all have positions in the hierarchy inferior to those of the alpha male and female. The young adult wolves, who are the grown-up offspring of the alpha pair, have their own special roles under the leadership or their parents. Some of them me able to "boss around," or dominate, their sisters and brothers because they have established themselves as superior in some way. This superiority might be physical-larger size or greater strength - but it can be based on personality Dominant wolves in the pack usually have more aggressive and forceful personalities than their relatives of the same age.
The juveniles and pups, under two years old, do not occupy permanent positions within the pack hierarchy. They all take orders from their parents and older brothers and sisters, but their relationships with each other change frequently. During their play and other activities, they are constantly testing one mother to find out who will eventually be "top wolf" in their age group
The pack is kept together by strong bonds of affection. Conflict is unusual and when present is generally a cause for great distress among the other wolves of the pack. Though wolves are not usually hostile toward wolves of their own pack they can become hostile to wolves that do not belong to their pack, as these wolves are seen as a threat to the pack's unity and survival.
One important aspect of wolf development is play. Wolves enjoy playful exchanges with each other. Playfulness starts as a pup and continues throughout the wolves' life.
Sometimes, wolves seem to treat people as if they were a part of the pack; even acting submissive in face of a person's self confidence. At other times they will act shy and afraid of humans; probably due to the fact that humans have caused much harm to the wolf over the years. A pup that is continually around humans will bond to that human. Though it is not wise to make a pet of a wolf. Most humans are not observant enough to keep within a wolf's social code. For this reason, among others, they should not be made a pet. |
