Table 1. Dominant interactions during summer periods between breeding wolves from Ellesmere Island in the absence of auxiliaries, that is, the number of times the wolves dominated or obeyed others.

Year	breeding male	breeding female	Are there puppies?
1992	9	0	Yes
1996	21	0	Yes
1998	4	0	No
Note: The interactions were predominantly active submission, but include three instances of passive submission (Schenkel 1967); this does not include "standing over the other" or interactions involving food other than "food-begging".

Table 2. Dominant interactions between breeding wolves and one-year-old wolves from Ellesmere Island in 1993 (no pups and parents were animals described in ), that is, the number of times one wolves dominated others or obeyed others.

	male parent	female parent	1 year old female	one year old male	1 year old female 2	Total
male parent	--	0	0	0	0	0
female parent	3	--	0	0	0	3
1 year old female	3	2	--	0	4	9
one year old male	4	3	0	--	0	7
1 year old female 2	4	3	0	0	--	7
One year old?	3	2	0	0	0	5
Total	17a	10a	0	0	4	31
a — for parent-male-parent-female interactions Χ 2 = 0.94, P = 0.33, df = 1.

Table 3. Dominant interactions between breeding wolves and one-year-old wolves from Ellesmere Island in 1988 (pups present, same male parent as in 1990-1996), i.e. the number of times one wolf dominated the other or obeyed others.

	male parent	female parent	one year old male	1 year old female	Total
male parent	--	0	0	0	0
female parent	2	--	1	0	3
one year old male	8a	4	--	1	13
1 year old female	5b	9	0	--	14
Total	15	13	1	1	30
Note: This does not include "standing over others" or interactions involving food other than "food-begging". a - includes one short sequence of five submissions. b - includes one short sequence of four submissions.

Table 4. Dominant interactions between breeding wolves and two-year-old wolves 1 and ), that is, the number of times one wolves dominated another or obeyed another.

	male parent	female parent	2 year old female	2 year old male	Total
male parent	--	0	0	0	0
female parent	13	--	2b	2	17
2 year old female	8	9	--	4	21
2 year old male	4	0	0	--	4
Total	25 s	9 c	2	6	42 c
Note: This does not include "standing over others" or interactions involving food other than "food-begging". a are yearling wolves from the Table. b - One of these times, a female parent dominated a 2-year-old female for 15 minutes. Another time, when it was not clear who dominated, the female parent or the two-year-old female, is not counted. c is for parent-male-parent-female interactions. Χ 2 = 3.99, P= 0.05.

Table 5. Dominant interactions between breeding wolves and a post-reproductive female from the Ellesmere Island pack during the summers of 1990 and 1991 (the pups are present and the male parent is the same as in other study years except 1998), then there is a number of times that some wolves have dominated others or submitted to others.

	male parent	female parent		Total
male parent	--	1 c	0	0
female parent a	35	--	1	36
Post-reproductive female b	26	17	--	43
Total	61	18	1	80d
Note: This does not include "standing over others" or interactions involving food other than "food-begging". a - one-year-old female in 1988 (Table ) and female parent in 1990-1996. b - female parent in 1988 and 1989 (Table). c - approaching the female and puppies in the den, the male obeyed. d - Χ 2 = 12.64, P< 0.001, df = 1.

That these rules of submission help maintain friendly relations was clearly demonstrated during observations on June 22, 1991. The post-reproductive female returned to the den with a very dry hare carcass, more fun than food. Instead of taking the carcass directly to the puppies, the old female went the other way and dutifully gave it to the breeding male, who snatched the carcass instantly. He rejected the requests of the old female and even the breeding female and chewed the carcass himself for 20-30 minutes.

Among the others general rules of dominance, the only thing I noticed was related to scent marking, food possession, and food delivery. Regarding scent marking: Both the breeding male and breeding female do, but the subordinates do not, unless they compete for dominance (Packard 1989, Asa et al 1990). I have not seen an exception to this rule. Regarding ownership and delivery of food: if there were puppies or yearling wolves in the pack, I have observed that the breeding male either belches or throws food to the female, or allows her to take food from him, or delivers food directly to the puppies.

In addition to food delivery, it has been found that there is a possession zone around each wolf's mouth (Mech 1970), and regardless of the rank of the challenger, the owner tries to keep the food for himself, which was also seen by Lockwood (1979) in captive wolves. Wolves of any rank can try to steal food from another wolf of any rank, but each wolf will defend its own food (). It appears that dominant wolves are generally more successful at stealing food, but the sample size is too small to draw definitive conclusions.

Table 6. Observed attempts to protect food from other wolves in pack a from Ellesmere Island.

date	Possessor of food	Challenger	Result
1988-02-26	Puppies/one year old female b	female parent	Successful
1988-07-01	1 year old female	female parent	Successful
	Puppy c	one year old male	unsuccessful
1988-07-05	1 year old female	female parent	Successful
1988-07-27	1 year old female	one year old male	unsuccessful
	male parent	1 year old female	unsuccessful
	male parent	one year old male	Successful
1990-08-05	male parent	Post-reproductive female	unsuccessful
1991-06-22	Post-reproductive female	male parent	Successful
1993-07-11	1 year old female	1 year old female	unsuccessful
1994-07-16	Puppies and one year old male	1 year old female	unsuccessful
1996-07-15	Puppies and female parent	male parent d	Successful
1998-07-07	female parent	male parent	unsuccessful
a - does not include cases where the breeding female takes food from the breeding male. b - A one-year-old female brought food to the puppies and snapped her teeth at the breeding female when she stole the food. c - a one-year-old female who brought a hare stood guard near the puppy. d - the breeding female was unable to stop the breeding male.

Two other types of behavior among pack members could be associated with dominance, but these data are insufficient for firm conclusions. This refers to “standing over another” and “embracing” (Mech 2001). In "standing over the other" one wolf may stand over the down wolf (Schenkel 1947) by placing its groin over the nose of the down wolf. Sometimes a lying wolf sniffs the groin or genitals of a standing wolf.

Schenkel (1947) only saw "standing over the other" in "peaceful" times and apparently did not see this behavior as related to dominance. In the case of 'hugging', my sample was not large enough (5) to determine if this was due to dominance (Mech 2001).

The above rules of dominance, which include a natural, age-based order with a breeding pair at the head and offspring or non-breeding wolves as subordinates, are so automatic that they are rarely called into question. In this regard, social interactions between members of natural wolf packs are much more relaxed and peaceful than those described by Schenkel (Schenkel 1947) and Zimen (Zimen 1982) for captive wolves, as also noted by Clark (Clark 1971). Puppies obey adults and older brothers and sisters also automatically and peacefully. When puppies form a rank order, and whether this occurs at all, is a matter of debate (compare (Zimen 1975) and (Fox and Andrews 1973, Haber 1977)). I cannot shed any light on this matter. But even among one-year-old and two-year-old wolves, very few rank demonstrations were observed (Tables)).

It is believed that social tensions may increase during the breeding season (Schenkel 1947), but in fact most natural flocks have only one breeding pair, which should preclude such tensions. The earliest of known ages, in which feral wolves can breed is 22 months (Seal et al 1979), and some individuals reach sexual maturity no earlier than four years (Haber 1977, Mech and Seal 1987). Since most wolves leave the pack before two years of age, and almost all wolves do so before three years of age (Mech 1987, Gese and Mech 1991, Mech et al 1998), most packs have no source of competition for breeding.

Thus, only in relatively rare flocks with several breeding pairs can there be intense competition such as that reported by Haber (Haber 1977) during the breeding season in his unusual flock. On the other hand, at least some of the differences in observed cases of "hostility" may be due to different points of view of observers. In the summer of 1994, I occasionally saw a two-year-old female being tensely "pressed down" by her mother, which some might call "hostile". But to me, this behavior looked like just the kind of relationship I had observed between a mother and her out-of-hand puppy. In any case, at the time of my research, this kind of interaction was not common.

As far as high-ranking animals are concerned, defending some kind of practical control over subordinates, the nature of such interactions is extremely conditional. So, for example, if a flock caught a large prey like an adult moose ( Alces alces), then pack members of all ranks (ages) gather around the carcass and eat at the same time without any visible rank privileges (Mech 1966, Haber 1977). However, if the prey is smaller, such as a muskox calf, the dominant animals (the breeding pair) may eat first and control when the subordinates will eat (Mech 1988, NGS1988).

Similarly, puppies are subordinate to both parents and older siblings, but are fed predominantly by their parents and even by their older (dominant) siblings (Mech et al 1999). On the other hand, parents dominate older offspring and, if there is a shortage of food, limit their food intake in favor of younger puppies. Thus, the most practical effect of social dominance is that the dominant individual can choose how food is distributed.

Other than that, the only rank privilege in natural situations that I know of is that high-ranking puppies are more assertive in competition for food brought to them by adults, and sometimes accompany adults on foraging trips at an earlier age than they do. subordinate individuals (Haber 1977).

Dominance of breeding male and female

The relationship between a breeding male and a breeding female is complex and requires further study. Regarding the dominant roles of "alpha males" and "alpha females" in their relationships and relationships with subordinates in packs of captive wolves, there are conflicting ideas. This issue is also closely related to, but not necessarily the same as, leadership (Mech 2000).

Whether each gender has its own dominance hierarchy is a matter of debate. As noted by Van Hooff and others (Van Hooff and Wensing 1987, p. 248), Schenkel (1947) and Zimen (Zimen 1982) argue that in captive wolves, each sex has its own independent hierarchy. However, the results of studies of wild wolves disagree with this statement. Clark's data (Clark 1971) show that the breeding male dominates all wolves and the breeding female dominates all wolves except the breeding male. Haber (1977, p. 203) states that among the wild wolves he studied, males usually dominate, but with few exceptions. My data are consistent with breeding males dominating posturally (body postures), and only once have I observed a breeding male posturally submit to a female (Tables).

The disagreement over the relationship between breeding males and females probably stems from the significant differences in habitat and pack composition between captive and natural wolf packs discussed earlier. Thus, it would be useful to describe typical interactions between breeding males and females in natural flocks, since these interactions have not yet been described.

When the breeding male and female are separated, recognize each other, and then meet, the breeding female approaches the male in a typical submissive posture: tail down or tucked between her paws, half-crouching or lying on the ground, with her ears pursed and her nose up, licking the male's mouth (Schenkel 1947). At the same time, the male stands calmly, sometimes raising his tail horizontally.

During the summer periods, when the pack I observed had puppies or one-year-old wolves, such encounters most often occurred near them when the male returned from searching for food. His response to a female greeting was to drop the food he was holding in his mouth and/or burp (Mech et al 1999). The female then ate the food herself or gave it to her offspring. I didn't see the difference between a hello like this that ended in a burp and one that didn't. In 1998, when the breeding pair did not have offspring, each of the four encounters of the pair I observed occurred immediately when the female returned from a temporary separate trip for food or separate storage of prey (caching). Each time she came back and met the male, the female assumed a position of active submission, and on one of these occasions she demonstrated submission for approximately 90 seconds. One day, when a breeding female was aggressively chasing another wolf, the male overtook her (June 17, 1991), and she immediately obeyed. From these observations, it is reasonable to assume that the breeding female was the subordinate of the breeding male.

However, the practical meaning of such postural submission remains unclear. This behavior obviously does not always involve begging for food. For example, during an encounter in 1998, a female demonstrated the posture described above, while possessing a long bone, with which she had just eaten a lot of meat. The male, who had not eaten for at least several hours, tried to take the bone from her. But despite the male's attempts to steal the bone, which lasted more than one hour, the female snapped her teeth defensively at him and kept the bone behind her.

Even if the active subordination of the breeding female to the male was indeed food rearing and not submission, one must keep in mind the fact that sometimes the breeding female passively submits (Schenkel 1967) to the male. I have observed this three times on Ellesmere Island (), but have never seen a breeding male passively obeying a female. Since passive submission has nothing to do with begging, these observations appear to be clear evidence of submission.

The breeding male and female participate equally in the hunt - both for the calf and for the adult musk ox - and eat together with each other, although sometimes they remove one-year-old wolves from the prey. Parents hunt hares together, although in hunts involving yearling wolves, the breeding male is more persistent than the female (Mech 1995b).

Both the breeding male and the breeding female made scent marks. Each of them can initiate a double marking (Haber 1977, Rothman and Mech 1979) and this depends on which of them is ahead in certain moment time while moving. For example, on July 16, 1993, during a four-kilometer journey, a breeding pair of wolves from Ellesmere Island left double marks three times; the male initiated two of them. For urine marking, both the male and the female lift their hind legs, although the male lifts the paw higher, which is probably due to his anatomy; sometimes, in connection with marking, both wolves dig the ground.

During the early stages of caring for pups in the breeding pair, there is a clear division of labor with the female taking care of and feeding the pups in the den (Packard et al 1992) and the male hunting and bringing food to the den for the female and the pups (Mech et al 1999).

The male demonstrates the obligation to leave food for the breeding female. So, for example, on July 8, 1992, when the Ellesmere male and female were equidistant from me in different directions, I threw the carcass of an adult hare weighing about 5 kilograms to the male. The male grabbed the carcass, but the female instantly rushed at him, grabbed the carcass from his mouth and carried it to the den. The male made no attempt to retain or return the carcass. Then I gave him a second hare of the same size. He ate the head, and took the rest of the carcass to the female, who was half a kilometer away from that place. The female buried the carcass. Similar tests with smaller carcasses give the same results.

However, the breeding female reigns supreme in keeping other pack members away from the little puppies, especially when they are less than three weeks old. It was not uncommon in the Ellesmere wolf pack for a breeding female to run towards the little pups whenever a male or any other wolf approached them.

Moreover, the breeding male posturally obeyed each time he approached a female caring for small pups. On June 27, 1990, I observed a breeding male walking toward a female in the den, "excitedly waving his tail and wagging his body." Similarly, on May 18, 1990, in Denali National Park, Alaska, I observed a breeding 251 radio-tagged male from the Headquarters pack (Mech et al 1998) approaching a 307 breeding female who was in a den with puppies, began walk with a "swinging gait", wagging the tail and back of the body, as subordinates do when approaching a dominant individual. The female came out of the den, and the male regurgitated her food. These were the only cases where I observed a breeding male behaving submissively in front of any other wolf. Obviously, this shows that before the pups leave the den, the breeding female temporarily dominates even the breeding male.

The breeding female cares for and protects the pups more than any other member of the pack. For example, mothers were the only pack members I saw lifting and carrying puppies. Moreover, I once observed a breeding female from a flock from Ellesmere Island behaving most aggressively towards a musk ox that approached the entrance to the lair (Mech 2000). This is consistent with the observations of Joslin (1966) and Clark (1971). On the other hand, Murie (1944) reports that he most aggressively chased away grizzly bears ( Ursus arctos) from the territory of the den with puppies, a breeding male.

conclusions

The above observations show that, at least during the summer period, social interactions between members wolf pack differ little in intensity and quality from the interactions between members of any other group of related individuals. Even such a widely publicized dominance hierarchy in a wolf pack is, first of all, a natural reflection of the age, sex and reproductive structure of the group, where the breeding male posturally (postures) dominates other members of the pack, and the breeding female receives food from the male while taking care of puppies.

Thus, a typical wolf pack should be seen as a family in which adult parents direct group activities and distribute leadership over the group in a division of labor system, where the female dominates predominantly in such activities as caring for and protecting puppies, and the male predominantly during prey and provision. food, as well as in the movements associated with this activity (Mech 2000).

Demonstration of dominance is rare, except when competing for food. In these cases, the display of dominance allows the parents to monopolize food and distribute it to the youngest offspring. Active submission appears to be primarily a gesture of begging for food or a motivator for obtaining it (Mech 1970). The role of active and passive submission in interactions between breeding males and females in the absence of offspring requires further study.

Thanks

This project was supported by the National Geographic Society, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US National Biological Survey (now the Biological Resources Division of the USGS), and the North Central Experimental Forest Station of the US Department of Agriculture. For logistical assistance, I am also very grateful to the Polar Continental Shelf Project (PCSP), National Resources Canada, the Met Office, Environment Canada, and High Arctic International. Permits were issued by the Department of Renewable Energy and the Grizes Fjord Hunters Association of the Northwest Territories of Canada. Also, assistance in logistics was provided by field assistants: L. Adams, L. Boitani, D. Boyd, N. Gegdode, K. Johnson, J. Hutchinson, N. Gibson, T. Lebowski, M. Maule, M. Ortiz, J. Packard, R. Peterson, R. Rome, L. Shaffer, R. Sternal, and Y. Swain. I am also grateful to R. O. Peterson for criticism of the manuscript and suggestions for improvements. This article was made under the PCSP 003298 project.

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Additionally

Past beliefs about alpha status and dominance in wolves have been blindly transferred to domestic dogs. But since then, not only David Meech's article has been published - a new look at dominance in wolves has been generally accepted in the scientific community for many years. In addition, ideas about the origin of domestic dogs and the social organization of dog groups were revised, which significantly changed the scope of acceptable behavior in comparison between wolves and dogs.

However, outdated, erroneous ideas about the hierarchy of wolf packs still determine the care and training of many dogs around the world. From stupid rules life together to real violence on the training ground - all this is justified by the nature of the wolf and the laws of the wolf.

26.10.2015

Being formidable predators, wolves enjoy a bad reputation. Having learned a little more about these animals, you are imbued with respect for them. The life of the flock is subject to certain laws, which allows smart and strong predators coexist peacefully and obey the will of the wise leader. What is the secret of wolf strength and invulnerability? This will help you figure out the 10 most interesting facts about them.

10. Who is the boss in the pack?

Relationships in a wolf pack are subject to a strict hierarchy. At the head of the pack is the so-called alpha pair. Where the male is the leader who makes the most responsible decisions and is responsible for each relative. He does not choose his dominance by force; there are more powerful and hardy males in the pack. The main advantages of the leader are a sharp mind and a stable psyche. The companion of the leader also enjoys considerable prestige, but her cares are given mainly to the females of the pack and puppies. The leader has an unspoken deputy who will replace the leader in the event of his death. This beta male is somewhat lower in the hierarchical ladder, and completely obeys the will of the leader. It happens that the role of the leader in certain critical situations can be assumed by the female. Also in the flock there are individuals who bear the title of warriors. It can be not only males, but also females who are not burdened with motherhood. It is they who are responsible for obtaining food and protecting the weak and young. At the bottom of the hierarchy are old and sick animals. Puppies, on the other hand, are outside the hierarchy, they are given maximum attention by all members of the pack without exception. This complex social group unquestioningly listens to the instructions of the leader, and gets along well with each other. Even looking from the side, you can determine the place of each animal in the pack. The leader keeps his tail high, the tails of the rest of the wolves are lowered, and the weakest individuals are tucked under the body.

9. Wolf tenderness

Newlyweds are often wished swan fidelity, and never wolf. And here it is in vain. These animals can serve as an example of amazing relationships. Having met once, they no longer part until their death. In the spring, during the rut, the wolf and she-wolf separate from the pack in order to fully devote themselves to each other. With other members of the pack, the she-wolf, from this time until the appearance of the cubs, behaves unfriendly, and sometimes even aggressively. But back to lovers. When caring, animals show their emotions not only with facial expressions. They rub their muzzles against each other, lick their partner and gently bite. All this time, the couple does not part, and with the advent of wolf cubs, the male manifests himself as a very caring father.

8. Kindergarten like a wolf

A she-wolf bears her offspring for 2 months. During this time, she must pick up and prepare several lairs - places where she could stay with the kids. Most often these are caves, badger burrows or a depression near the rhizomes of old trees. At one time, the female is able to reproduce from 3 to 5 puppies. Young growth is born absolutely helpless, and feeds exclusively on mother's milk. Blind and deaf wolf cubs weigh only 300 grams each. But after 3 weeks, their eyes open, which in all wolf cubs piercingly blue color. And only by 8 months the eyes of the cubs acquire a golden hue. By one and a half months, babies are already turning into meat-eaters. All members of the pack strive to feed the babies, regardless of the degree of kinship, it is they who deliver food to the she-wolf and her offspring. And for the first 4 months of life, the weight of puppies increases 30 times. However, not by bread alone. There are professional nannies in the flock who, regardless of gender, get along well with the kids, playing with them. The leader himself pays much attention to the young.

7. Top quality

Wolves, as a well-trained special forces fighter, have the most important qualities for survival. So, they swim perfectly, for this, nature has provided small membranes between the fingers. Thanks to this feature, an adult wolf can swim more than 10 km. Also, in moments of greatest danger, wolves are able to accelerate up to 56 km / h. And this can be explained by regular training, because throughout the day they move at a speed of about 8 km / h. In addition, the wolf has an extraordinary sense of smell. He is able to distinguish up to 200 million odors, which is 40 times more than a person. And a predator can easily smell prey at a distance of up to 1.5 km. And if the prey came into view, the wolf pack will not miss its own. No wonder the wolf's grip has become a household name. After all, a pressure of 300 kg / cm² is created in the wolf's mouth. By comparison, canine fangs close with half as much force.

6. Though a wolf howl

For communication, adult wolves most often use a howl, which allows you to gather all members of the pack together, or scare off the enemy. Howling is the best suited for communication, with its help wolves are able to convey various information and even emotions. Contrary to popular belief, a wolf howl lasts no more than 5 seconds, and already the echo spreads the sound, making it lingering. It is extremely rare for wolves to bark, snort and whine. In moments of extreme danger, animals can growl and clang their teeth. But these smart animals communicate not only with the help of sounds. They are one of the few capable of conveying their emotions with the help of facial expressions, and wolves are also able to demonstrate their attitude towards another animal. Licking each other, lightly biting the muzzle, they show tender feelings. The wolf crawling up to the leader shows him his respect and humility. Lying on its back and exposing its unprotected belly, the wolf expresses complete trust.

5. Happy hunting!

Such brave animals as wolves are difficult to scare with something, unless these are flags. Knowing about this weakness of predators, hunters use flags, driving the beast. And the wolf, rushing at the speed limit, stops in front of shreds of fabric fluttering in the wind. He rushes along the rope, on which the flags are hung, but for some reason he does not dare to jump over. What's the matter? There is an opinion that a similar reaction in animals is exclusively to red fabric, which they take for flashes of fire. In fact, the color does not matter, since the wolves do not distinguish between them. However, they are perfectly oriented in smells. And the flags, having been in the hands of a hunter, smell like a man. For most wolves, this smell is unfamiliar, and therefore potentially dangerous. Yes, and the fabric flutters in the wind, scaring away the inexperienced beast. It is curious that flags are not an insurmountable obstacle for all wolves. Those animals that live far from humans and feed exclusively on game, without attacking livestock, do not experience any emotions at the sight of flags.

3. Does the wolf perform in the circus?

Wolves are almost impossible to train. They are easily trained, and being in an aviary, they can accurately execute even complex commands. However, their humility is all deceptive, and at the first opportunity the wolf will try to break free. In this case, the animal can behave very aggressively, posing a threat to the life and health of others. Perhaps due to this very fact, the idea that wolves never perform in a circus has taken root in the minds of the townsfolk. Like, the whole secret is in their love of freedom. This idea is only partly true. So, in 1965, the artist of the Perm Circus Ekaterina Korenkova entered the arena with wolves. Her performances were a huge success, but only Catherine herself knew how much work it cost her. The fact is that wolves are cowardly by nature. Finding itself in an unfamiliar environment (unfamiliar arena, many people, bright lights, harsh sounds), the wolf tucks its tail and flees. But as soon as a wolf is in a pack, he becomes noticeably bolder, and, reacting to stress, can show aggression. In addition, wolves are too touchy and vindictive. And as soon as the trainer relaxes a little, the predator immediately decides to take revenge, remembering old grievances. All this makes the performance of wolves in the circus unnecessarily dangerous and unpredictable.

2. Smarter than dogs

Austrian scientists from Messerli University conducted an experiment that clearly demonstrates the intellectual superiority of wolves over dogs. 14 six-month-old wolves and 15 mongrel dogs of the same age were recruited to participate in the study. Each tailed participant in the experiment was shown a video where a trained dog, using its paws and its own teeth, opened a box with a treat hidden inside. After viewing, each puppy ended up at this very box, which he had to open. Surprisingly, all the wolf cubs, remembering the video hint, coped with the task. But from the group of dogs, only 4 puppies turned out to be resourceful. In a more in-depth study, when the wolves were asked to open the box on their own, only a few of them coped with the task. This fact proves that wolves are more attentive and capable of learning than dogs. From a purely physiological point of view, this is due to the fact that the brain of a wolf is 30% larger than that of a dog. Their memory is more developed, which allows predators to successfully track prey along familiar routes.

1. To help environmentalists

There have been no wolves in Yellowstone National Park (USA) for 70 years. During this time, the deer population increased to enormous proportions. Getting their own food, herbivores destroyed young trees, thereby causing a serious blow to the entire ecosystem of the park. Scientists sounded the alarm, but making a lot of efforts, they could not seriously change the situation. It is not known what further reindeer expansion would have led to, but in 1995 14 wolves were released into the park. They slightly reduced the number of deer, and the rest were forced to be more careful in choosing their places for pasture. As a result, in just 6 years, the number of trees in the national park has quintupled. And this contributed to an increase in the population of beavers, which now have the opportunity to build dams. Ducks and muskrats settled in the backwaters. Wolves also reduced the number of jackals, and this allowed hares and mice to breed. The latter attracted hawks to the park. But the most striking thing is that thanks to the wolves, the riverbeds have changed. Now trees and grasses began to grow along the banks, which strengthened the coastal zone with their roots. So many positive changes in the park happened thanks to the appearance of a pack of wolves. Thus, the natural balance was restored in nature.

It is foolish to accuse wolves of bloodthirstiness. After all, it would never occur to anyone to blame the fish for living in water. So the wolf does not want harm to anyone, he is just born a predator.

14 Mar 2018

There are often people on the Internet who desperately prove something, having no idea about the subject of discussion. Anonymous are ready to prove with foam at the mouth which method of treatment is better or how to properly pump up the press in a day, week, month, quarter.

Such people are immediately betrayed by utter incompetence and the presence of a lot of free time for endless disputes and even humiliation of virtual opponents.

This photo of a pack of wolves is a great example of such individuals. Appearing on the Facebook page of one Canadian, the picture spread across the Web and acquired numerous legends and conjectures.

Here is what she wrote Hailey: « A huge pack of 25 wolves hunts bison in the north Canada. in winter in Buffalo Wood National Park temperature drops to -40 C. A pack of wolves is led by a leader, individuals move singly to conserve energy».

Soon, some smart guy posted this photo, coming up with a completely different addition: “ In front of the pack are three weak, dying wolves. They tread the road so that the rest do not get tired. If the wolves are ambushed, then the sick will die first, ceasing to be a burden for the pack.

They are followed by a vanguard of wolf warriors. Then come the mother wolves.

They are covered by a few more fighters. Behind comes the leader, keeping the entire flock in sight and controlling the situation.

Many people accepted this information as the pure truth and began to condemn the cruelty of wolves, they say, they do not spare the elderly. However, this is just a fantasy.

Do you love wolves? Then look how this brave little man saved the fanged one.

The pack is headed by the leader, and behind him already one at a time, someone is closer, someone is further followed by the rest of the wolves. In the wolf family, there really is a strict hierarchy, which we will understand.

Leader- dominates the pack, makes all decisions on the protection of his wards, the choice of habitat, the organization of hunting and the distribution of a certain social position for each wolf.

The leader eats first, because the life of each member of the pack depends on him. Others prefer to starve but be protected by the strongest.

Warriors- the team of the leader, which guards the flock and takes part in the hunt. Warriors can be individuals of both sexes.

senior warrior- Deputy leader, helps him with organizational issues. In the event of the death of the latter, takes his place.

Mother- She-wolf, engaged in raising babies. He can take care of both his own and other cubs. The birth of cubs does not make a she-wolf a mother. This status, like all others, requires a certain psychological preparation.

older mother- leads the mothers, the most experienced she-wolf, who can take the place of the leader.

Puppy- a wolf, completely obeys the orders of mothers, warriors and leader. He has no responsibility, but he is entitled to protection and food.

Disabled person- an old wolf, unable to take part in the life of the pack. Claims for protection and prey. Wolves don't abandon their elders.

Wolves breed once a year, breaking into pairs. However, not all individuals find a soul mate, so some live third with couples helping them hunt and care for wolf cubs. We also recommend looking at

Photos of a wolf pack are usually accompanied by inaccurate descriptions of the behavior of the wolves.

Statement: the photo shows a pack of wolves with the oldest and weakest members in front.

This photo is now circulating on the net. Is she accurate?

Here is the standard description:

“Wolf pack: the first three wolves are the oldest and sickest; they set the pace for the movement of the entire flock. If it were the other way around, they would follow behind and eventually fall behind the pack. In the event of an ambush, they will be sacrificed. They are followed by the five most powerful wolves. In the center are the rest of the pack, followed again by the five strongest wolves. The last wolf is the leader of the pack. He controls the movement. In this position, he sees everything and determines the direction. Before him, the whole flock is at a glance. The pack moves at the pace of the oldest wolves. The wolves help each other and watch all the members of the pack.”

Origin: In December 2015, a photo of a wolf pack walking through the snow began circulating on Facebook, with an inaccurate description of its hierarchy. So far, we do not know for certain who is the author of the dubious description attached to the photograph. On Facebook, the post appeared on Italian December 17, 2015. Three days later he was transferred to English language and began to gain popularity.

Despite this, the description of the photo is inaccurate. The frame itself was taken by Chadden Hunter and included in documentary BBC Frozen Planet (2011). The original description stated that the pack was led by an "alpha female"; the rest follow in its footsteps in order to save energy:

“A large pack of 25 eastern wolves prey on bison in northern Canada. In the middle of winter in national park Wood Buffalo temperatures drop to -40°C. A wolf pack led by an alpha female makes their way through deep snow to save energy. The size of the flock is an indication of how rich their forage base is in winter. Wolf packs in this National Park are the only wolves in the world who prey on huge bison. They are considered the largest and most powerful wolves on Earth."

This description is more accurate than the one currently circulating on Facebook. However, some researchers argue about the appropriateness of using the term "alpha". In his scientific work"Alpha Status, Dominance and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs" (1999) David Mech argued that the concept of an "alpha" wolf that dominates other pack members does not actually exist in the wild:

“In a natural wolf pack, the alpha male and alpha female are essentially the breeding pair, the parents of the pack, and dominance struggles between wolves are rare, if any. I have watched the pack on Ellesmere Island for 13 seasons and have never seen anything like it."

Any parent is dominant in relation to their young offspring, so the word "alpha" does not carry any information. An alpha female can be called a parent, an ancestor, or simply a mother. This emphasizes not the dominant status of the animal, which is trivial information, but its role as the progenitor, the founder of the pack.

This photograph is "real" in the sense that it is of a pack of wolves in Wood Buffalo National Park. However, the pack is not led by three old wolves, but by one of its strongest members: he paves the way for everyone else.

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A good hunter knows that the success of his hunt depends not only on his hunting equipment, which he took with him to the forest to hunt, not only on his skill and accuracy during the shot, but also on how well he knows the habits of that wild beast. which he is going to hunt, and how well he can "read" his tracks (more about). And today we want to tell you about the laws of the wolf pack and how and why wolves behave in their Everyday life . This information is sure to come in handy for both beginners and experienced hunters…

Hierarchy in a wolf pack

It is incredibly difficult to observe the life of wolves inside a pack in their natural environment a habitat. Because of this, most of the information we have about wolves comes from observations in captivity. It is believed that E. Ziemen made the most reliable observations, as he kept a pack of wolves in an area of ​​6 hectares. As it turned out, the pack includes an Alpha male, an Alpha female, and a Betta male, as well as low-ranking wolves and puppies that are not included in the hierarchy. It is noteworthy that

since, according to the laws of the wolf pack, puppies are outside the hierarchy, adults do not attack them.

She-wolf behavior

Before the start of the mating season, as well as during it, the Alpha female is very aggressive towards all females that have reached puberty. And, although she prefers the Alpha male, she sometimes mates with other males who have reached puberty, and even with males of a lower rank. Although a larger number of contacts still belongs to the Alpha male.

After the mating season, the female's aggressiveness quickly decreases, and she can raise puppies normally.

Alpha male behavior

The undisputed leader according to the law of the wolf pack is the Alpha male. His attitude towards all individuals of the pack is very friendly, but with respect to strangers, the leader is extremely aggressive. All the activity of the flock is tied to the leader and he has the primacy in marking behavior.

Male Behavior

The beta male is the most likely successor to the alpha male. Most likely, this successor is the son or brother of an Alpha male or Alpha female, or it is possible that their common puppy. It turns out that the receiver is closely related by blood ties to the puppies of the Alpha male, thereby being their uncle or brother. The beta male behaves extremely aggressively towards other low-ranking individuals, although sometimes aggression is directed at high-ranking members of the pack.

The aggressive behavior of the Betta male is also due to the fact that he constantly checks the status of the leader of the Alpha male. After all, the Betta male is the successor of the Alpha male and wants to take the place of his predecessor in the wolf hierarchy.

Behavior of other members of the wolf pack

The main role of low-ranking individuals is to provide a significant advantage during the hunt. The chances that low-ranking wolves will leave offspring are very small. Their position forces them to spend quite a long time in the hierarchical queue. But, it is individuals of low rank that have great chances to enter the elite, upon entry into a new pack of wolves.

Low-ranking individuals, unlike the Alpha male, are quite friendly to strangers and easily come into contact with them. The position of low-ranking females is similar to that of low-ranking males, but they are more dependent, less inclined to leave the pack and experience strong pressure from the Alpha female. The only time of the year when they manage to slip away from the press of the Alpha female is summer - the time of rearing and raising puppies.

One-year-old individuals try to stay in a close group, and in case of conflicts within the pack, they try to avoid participating in them. Those puppies that are distinguished by special obedience to the older members of the pack are great care than to the rest.

The main principles of the wolf pack

Aggression in the life of wolves

Lone wolves are a rarity

Aggression is very important point in the life of wolves, as it is the regulator of hierarchical relations within the pack, and also builds its structure and ensures the existence of the pack itself. But they play an even greater role intra-pack behavioral tendencies of the wolf.