Comparison of the social laws of the wolf and human pack. Internet lie: Lie about the wolf pack. Why do wolves bark and howl
The saying "Man is a wolf to man" was born a very long time ago - this is how they say about cruel relationships between people. In fact, this saying is not true at all. Wolves in a pack are very friendly. Everyone has their own place in it and strict order reigns in relations.
1:1000The unwritten law covers all aspects of pack life.
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Based on a system of dominance (superiority), it establishes order in access to food, the right to procreate or the obligation to obey, bestows the privilege of behaving freely. Hostility, quarrels, attacks, fights in the pack are rare. Everything is decided by the unambiguous actions of strong wolves, "explaining" who is in charge and who is subordinate. But more often the whole flock follows the will of recognized leaders. So thanks to the mutual understanding of the members of the pack, harmony is maintained in it. Friendly relations play huge role in a flock.
2:998 2:1003But, of course, wolves are not at all harmless cuties. On the contrary, compared to, say, any dog, they are much more aggressive and assertive.
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Their feelings are stronger and more definite: if wolf A loves wolf B, then he loves B, and not all wolves in the world. Therefore, wolves love their own - members of their pack.
3:306The nature of relations in the flock is altruistic. That is, each animal subordinates its personal interests to the interests of the entire "collective". With other relationships, the flock as a single organism cannot exist. The rank of an animal depends on the level of development of the psyche, and not only on physical data.
3:836 3:841After all, as you know, it is not so much the strongest that survives, but the smartest. And the leader has to organize the hunt (wolves have a group driven type of hunting that requires good organization), make decisions about the division of prey.
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Therefore, peace and tranquility reign in the flock. The younger ones obey the elders and feel absolutely protected, while the elders bear the burden of responsibility for everyone.
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The wolf pack has seven ranks
This is a well-organized society, where everyone understands their rights and obligations. Management takes place without forceful methods, everything is clearly organized, roles are distributed, no one is holding anyone back, but for some reason everyone chooses to coexist. The allocation of social ranks in the pack is weakly related to sex and seniority by age. These factors, like physical strength, only provide the performance of useful functions, nothing more.
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After killing a deer, the wolves stop hunting until all the meat runs out and hunger forces them to get back to work.
6:707Who are hardened, profitable, pereyarki
Hardened (mainland) - this, as scientists say, is the dominant, that is, the main, wolf - the leader! He has offspring and owns the plot. A mother can be both a male and a female. They are the main couple in the wolf pack.
6:1180Puppies that have not reached a year are called profitable. They are the youngest in the family. There may be 7-9, but usually 3-5. The newcomers are in the care of adult wolves, at first mostly mother, mother wolf.
6:1554Pereyarki are children of the previous year of birth, remaining on the site of their parents. In spring and early summer, they live on the outskirts of the family plot and maintain relationships with their parents. In the second half of summer they approach the center of the site, and in the fall they unite with their parents and younger brothers and sisters. As a rule, there are fewer pereyarkovs in the family than those who are profitable, since not all children stay with their parents for the second year. There are also families without pereyarki.
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Some families have more than two adult wolves.
In relation to a pair of mothers, the rest occupy a subordinate position and most often do not acquire offspring. Often they are referred to as pereyars, although this is not entirely true. By age, these are adult animals, but in terms of their role in the family, they are close to over-flyers. Mature, profitable and over-bred make up a typical wolf family, which can be both simpler and more complicated.
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Leader - the highest social rank
Assumes responsibility for the entire flock. The leader solves the issues of habitat, hunting, protection, organizes everyone, establishes ranks in the pack.
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The leader uses his preferential right to food at his own discretion.. For example, he gives his share to the puppies if there is not enough food. His task is to take care of everyone, and puppies are the future of the pack. However, if the starving leader is unable to lead the pack, everyone will be in danger, so his pre-emptive right to food is not disputed.
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During the period of arranging a den and feeding puppies, a mature female becomes the main one., and all members of the pack obey her. American researcher David Mich suggested a "division of labor" and leadership between the sexes, depending on the time of year and type of activity.
Wolves in a pack, including a couple of mothers, are not always the same age. If the she-wolf is older and more experienced than her partner, then she can determine both the route and the tactics of hunting, guiding the choice of the victim. If the spouse is older, then the decision of the majority of life depends on him. important issues, he even chooses a place for the future lair.
Senior Warrior - organizes hunting and protection, the applicant for the role of leader in case of his death or inability to lead the pack.
Mother is an adult she-wolf who has experience in raising cubs. She can perform the duties of a mother both in relation to her cubs and in relation to the children of less experienced mothers.
The birth of "children" does not automatically transfer the she-wolf to the rank of mother. As for any other rank, a certain psychophysical development is required here, the ability to make decisions necessary for life.
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The tasks of the mother include the cultivation and education of offspring.
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In the event of an attack on a flock, it is the mothers who take all the weak to a safe place, while the warriors hold the defense.
12:727Elder mother - if necessary, can take the rank of leader. Never competes with an older warrior. The vacated rank is occupied by the most worthy, capable of managing the pack.
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There are no fights to identify the stronger one.
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During the period of feeding and raising children, all mothers of the flock are under special protection and guardianship.
14:811Breeding in a wolf pack
Reproduction is with wolves and this side of life is organized very beautifully. Once a year, the flock breaks into families to give birth and raise offspring. Not all are allowed to breed. The main condition is to understand your place and role in a large family-flock. That's why those who do not have a partner live in a small wolf family as a third, helping to hunt and raise wolf cubs.
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Pairs of wolves - for life
If one of the partners dies, no new couple is created...
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Guardian - responsible for raising cubs. There are two sub-ranks: the pestun and the uncle.
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Pestun - young she-wolves or wolves who do not claim the rank of a warrior, grown up young of the previous litter. They are subordinate to their mothers and carry out their orders, gaining the skills of raising and training the growing wolf cubs. These are their first duties in the pack.
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Uncle is an adult male who does not have own family and helping raise wolf cubs.
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Signalman - warning the flock of dangers. The decision is made by more responsible members of the pack.
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Puppy is the sixth rank, no responsibility, apart from obedience to elders, but gives priority to food and protection.
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A disabled person is not crippled, but simply an old individual, has the right to food and protection. The wolves take care of their elders.
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Why does a wolf need a subtle scent?
Animals constantly communicate with each other, and sometimes the forms of this communication (communication) are very complex. In mammals, three types of communication are most developed: chemical, that is, with the help of smells, acoustic, that is, with the help of sounds, visual (visual), that is, with the help of postures, facial expressions and gestures.
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Chemical communication is the most ancient form of animal communication, it appeared already in unicellular organisms. Most mammals have a keen sense of smell. And the canine family among them are recognized "sniffers". So the wolf uses his nose very actively and constantly: both when hunting and collecting information about his brethren. It is difficult for us to imagine how much a dog or a wolf learns about this surrounding world with the help of a nose. They not only distinguish a huge number of smells, but also remember them for a very long time.
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Once I saw a tame wolf, after a long separation, remember a man. By appearance the beast did not recognize him. The voice probably vaguely reminded him of something - the wolf became alert for a while, but then began to walk around the cage again. The nose "said" everything at once. As soon as a weak gust of air from the open door brought a familiar smell, the previously indifferent wolf changed: he rushed to the very grate, whined, jumped for joy ... So the smell memory for the wolf is the most reliable and strong.
26:2263 26:4 27:508The wolf not only remembers, but, as one old hunter says, he thinks with his nose. Indeed, when hunting, he necessarily takes into account the wind. The direction of the wind depends on the whole tactics of hunting the flock. The ambushers, that is, the wolves that come closest to the prey, always go so that the wind blows towards them from the side of the victim. This is an advantageous position - both because the victim does not smell the wolf in this way, and because the wolves learn a lot about the victim by its smell. According to it, you can choose the "best" victim and then, without going astray, pursue it.
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When do wolves growl or squeak?
Wolves hear much better than a man, and what seems to us an indistinct rustle, for the wolf is a distinct sound signal. Hearing helps to avoid danger, communicate and search for prey. Wolves make many different sounds - they growl, snort, squeak, whine, squeal, bark and howl in different ways.
The purpose of these signals is different. For example, by roaring, the wolf announces its intention to attack or, conversely, to actively defend itself. Snorting warns relatives of danger. Most often, this is a signal from adults addressed to babies. Having heard it, the wolf cubs hide in a shelter or hide.
Wolf cubs whine almost immediately after birth, if they are not comfortable- hungry or cold - this is their first acoustic signal. Adults can also whine when they feel bad.
Mostly weak, low-ranking wolves screech when they are threatened or attacked by stronger relatives. The squeal "disarms", softens the attacker, calms him down. And expressing friendliness, wolves squeak.
They emit all these signals, being quite close to each other - at a distance of several centimeters to tens of meters. However, wolves have sound signals"long-distance communication" is barking and howling.
30:1558Why do wolves bark and howl?
Wolves bark at a large predator (tiger, bear) or at a person in case of danger. But only if the danger is not too serious. So barking is a warning signal. Wolves bark much less frequently than domestic dogs, and howl frequently.
We can say that the howl is a kind of "sound face" of the entire genus Canis, and especially the wolf. You can usually find out that wolves live somewhere just by howling. It happens solitary - when the voice of one wolf is not answered by others, and group - when several animals howl, it does not matter if they are near or far from each other. Together, howling pereyarki, being far from their parents and profits, or all family members.
And, of course, wolves howl in different ways.
Mater - very low and long, a single note sounds for at least 20 seconds. This even, thick, powerful voice has a very strong effect on a person.
31:267The she-wolf howls more briefly (10-12 seconds). Her voice is thinner than that of an adult male.
31:414Pereyarki, howling, whimpering and barking. Their notes are the same in duration as those of a she-wolf, or even shorter. Young (arrival) wolf cubs bark, squeal and howl.
During the autumn family "rehearsals" the wolf cubs stay together. Their chorus is like a cacophony.
Family choir for everyone- and seasoned, and over-bright, and profitable - one of the most impressive "concerts" in our forests. After all, wolves howl, as a rule, at dawn or at night. Their voices float into the darkening sky and awaken in a person something beyond the control of reason. Sometimes goosebumps run down the back, and not from fear, but from some inexplicable sensation.
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Wolves howl very loudly, so that a person distinguishes this sound for 2.5 or even 4 km. Wolves, on the other hand, hear each other from an even greater distance - it also depends on the weather. As if familiar with the theory of information transmission, they almost never howl if hearing conditions are poor. They even wait out the sound of a flying plane, a train or a strong wind.
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Until now, the true meaning of howling in the life of the pack is not fully understood. It is clear that neighboring families inform each other about their presence and thus avoid unwanted meetings. It is also clear that sometimes parents will howl to the puppies that they are approaching the day with prey, and the kids about where they are. But the most important thing is that it is the howl that creates a general harmonious mood in the flock. In this way, the role of howling is similar to the role of music for people. Maybe that's why it affects us so strongly. But the howl, betraying the presence of wolves, which respond to the waba (imitation of the howl) of hunters, turned out to be their "Achilles heel" in the confrontation with man.
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What paths do wolves take?
Many believe that wolves are vagrants and wanderers. This is only partly true: they do not go anywhere at all, but obeying a strictly defined order and in well-known places.
At wolf pack have their own, as scientists say, habitat. And the wolves know him like the back of their hand. They are superbly oriented on the ground and remember all their previous routes, and therefore they walk along the most permanent and most convenient paths.
A.N. Kudaktin, who has been studying wolves in the Caucasus for many years, made such an experiment several times: he climbed the slope to the same place in different ways, including wolf path. And it always turned out that it was easier to go along it, and faster than anything.
Walking along a smooth snow-covered swamp, where, it would seem, there are no signs, the wolves seem to come out on an old track, which has long been covered with snow. However, they are well aware of not only the area.
They are aware of everything that is happening around: they know where the bear lives and where he lay in the den, where elks or wild boars graze. Wolves notice the slightest change in familiar places. The American zoologist R. Peters, who studies the tactics of moving wolves around the site, believes that they have a mental map of their habitat.
36:1104 36:1109What is a buffer zone in wolves?
In wolves, as in many other animals, the outskirts of the habitats of neighboring packs sometimes overlap each other. Then buffer zones are formed in these places. Wolves - neighbors can meet here, and since relations between packs are most often very hostile, these are the most dangerous places on the site.
Therefore, entering the buffer zones and strenuously marking them, the wolves still try not to linger for a long time and, if there is enough prey for both packs, they do not hunt there. It can be said that the buffer zone is a kind of reserve for deer and other ungulates, created by the wolves themselves.
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When there is little prey in the main territory, the wolves of neighboring packs begin to hunt here as well. Having met in these places, they, as a rule, fight fiercely, and some of the animals die.
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The fewer wolves remain, the fewer ungulates they destroy, the number of deer is gradually restored, and the system "predator - prey" again comes into balance.
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Offending the weak was considered one of the greatest sins in Orthodox Russia. Weak not only physically, but also dependent on the mighty of the world this both materially and socially.
From time immemorial, unjust chiefs, up to the princely rank, were punished very severely. However, the fate of Prince Igor did not teach any of them anything. “Execution of Prince Igor” Engraving by F.A. Bruni, 1839.
From the inability to stand up for himself, from constant fear, but also from humiliation, the offended sometimes decided to take a desperate step. So, a beast mortally wounded by a hunter, realizing that he has nothing to lose, rushes at the hated (disappear anyway!) With all his last strength, aiming straight for the throat, in the hope that there will be at least one tormentor less.
Every time has its own heroes. There were such people in the 19th century in Russia, during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I. One of the heroes of that time was not a Russian, but ... a German who passionately loved Russia and came to her long and honest service.
RUSSIAN GERMAN…
Ivan Reinman was a true German: pedantic, law-abiding, not compromising his principles under any circumstances. His career in Russia began in 1830, when he was approved as the manager of the Staro-Lakhtinsky forestry, which was located near St. Petersburg.
In those times in tsarist Russia there was an acute problem with illegal deforestation (and when was it not?!), Russian foresters, it happened, were themselves involved in such frauds. For this reason, the tenants, who valued their reputation and their name, preferred to take on the service of the Germans, relying on their decency and conscientiousness.
Ivan Reinman was just such a person, suitable for employers in terms of his business and human qualities. He served quietly and calmly for many, many years, until one fine time he accidentally discovered that some deforestation work on his territory was taking place illegally. It is noteworthy that the new tenant received permission to cut down plots by bribing the chief forest warden Alopeus.
The “stubborn” forester, who firmly believes in the justice of power, wrote about the deeds of his boss straight to the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty. Alopeus, having learned about the signal received by the "Administration" of the emperor, in retaliation called Reinman a drunkard, insane, about which he hastened to notify the Cabinet.
The case was taking a serious turn, and therefore, in order to establish the truth, Reinman was suspended for a while from his official duties, deprived of his salary and sent to the doctors to check whether the forester was in his right mind. In the meantime, the Cabinet is gathering a commission to check the forest ranger's report on illegal logging. The Commission fully confirms the truth of Reinman's words. The tenant was found guilty and ordered to pay a fine of 1,830 silver rubles. And Alopeus, guilty of abuse of office, went to trial.
For six months, while the investigation dragged on, Reinman was kept among the insane, and only at the very end of 1841 was he released from the hospital for the insane.
But ... as it turned out, the German with the Russian name Ivan rejoiced early. The legal battle threatened to turn into an endless process, as Alopeus filed a counterclaim in court accusing Reinman of defamation. But then the unexpected happened: Alopeus, unable to withstand the burden of litigation, died.
The plaintiff's death did not stop the course of the proceedings. Therefore, the "forest officials" once again declare Reinman mentally ill, despite all the assurances of doctors about the complete mental health of the patient. The newly minted chief caretaker by the name of Westerlund writes a paper to the authorities stating that Reinman is crazy, and the case was closed, because, as they say, there is nothing to take from fools. And so that no one suspects anything, the forester is sent under the supervision of his brother, in whose house he spent almost two months under lock and key.
Alopeus didn't care anymore, and no one wanted to hire Reinman with papers in which the word "crazy" was a shameful stigma. Reinman was deeply offended. How could it be that a person who honestly performed his duty is declared crazy, thereby undermining his reputation, and then he becomes an outcast of society? The forester decides to seek justice in St. Petersburg. In St. Petersburg there was a forest department, "supervising" all the forest affairs of the empire. It was headed by the chamberlain and vice-president of the imperial cabinet, His Excellency Prince Nikolai Sergeevich Gagarin.
The prince was one of the favorites of Emperor Nicholas I. At the end of 1832, Gagarin was appointed to the position of manager of all the imperial glass and porcelain factories. Actually, Gagarin brought this industry into exemplary order. Three years later he was appointed vice-president of the Imperial Cabinet. In addition, he was a member of the commission for the restoration of the Winter Palace, which was damaged after the fire of 1837.
Only one circumstance spoiled the career of his excellency: he just became the forester Reinman. Fate is an unpredictable lady. Having sent Gagarin and Reinman towards each other, she probably knew that the result would be sad. The German Ivan, meanwhile, ended up in Gagarin's waiting room with a petition. His Excellency, without bothering to figure out what the petitioner came to him with (and the request was, in fact, trifling: to restore him to his former position as forestry manager and recognize him as mentally healthy), Reinman was "angry and kicked out."
It turned out that they fired Reinman from the forestry hastily, "backdating". Left without a single penny in his pocket, work and despaired of finding at least some work with such a “diagnosis”, Reinman still did not lose hope of finding understanding. Still wondering how it is possible to fall into disfavor as a reward for a long and impeccable service, the forester pays another visit to Gagarin, and sat in his waiting room for two days in a row.
And these two days, alas, were wasted. Once again, humiliated and morally crushed, Reinman dares to take a desperate step. If the tsarist bureaucracy is so clumsy, lazy and inactive, then the forester has no choice but to try to restore order in the “inefficient” Russian chancellery on his own. (Poor, poor Ivan! How many such desperate heads, seeking justice in the bureaucratic swamp, died without achieving anything).
Ivan Reinman buys two pistols at the market from an unfamiliar merchant with the last money. Having loaded both, he hides them in the pockets of his coat and, for the umpteenth time, goes to receive Gagarin. This time he sat in the presence from early morning until three o'clock in the afternoon. It was exactly three o'clock when Nikolai Sergeevich Gagarin appeared in the waiting room, again saw the former petitioner Reinman there and, turning purple, roared: “So you are here again? Go away!". Turning his back to the petitioner, the prince was about to leave, but he did not have time. His last words were drowned in the roar of shots: the "rebel" fired from both barrels, but the prince got only one bullet - in the neck. The wound turned out to be fatal and soon the prince died.
The act of the German forester thundered throughout Mother Russia. The sovereign, having received the news of the death of one of his best officials, fell into an indescribable rage. The reaction was immediate: the emperor issued an order to immediately try the forester by a military court, and that by morning next day the verdict must be submitted to him for approval. The court considered the murder committed by Reinman the most serious, and, consequently, the sentence should be the most severe. And therefore he decided to punish the criminal, as a warning to the rest, with gauntlets, driving him through a thousand people six times. And also to deprive all the rights of the state and exile to Siberia for hard labor.
Nicholas I immediately signs the verdict (in fact, it means certain death), because six thousand blows cannot be sustained.
For vast Russia, the act of a forester who shot an official who mocked him became a reason for action. And therefore, what happened in the Starolakhtinsky forestry turned out to be not the only one and pulled a chain of subsequent ...
To be continued…
I bring to your attention an interview with an ethologist who lived for several years in a pack of wolves. In my opinion, it is very useful. in the case of BP, and moving away from the cities, a meeting with a wolf pack will be very likely.
Have you lived in a pack of wolves for two years?
Yes, I was originally an experimenter, studying the physiology of behavior. But I soon realized that we are studying the mechanisms of what we do not know the meaning of. The life of the animal in nature was almost unknown, there were almost no publications about the wolf at that time. I tried to study the group behavior of dogs, but soon realized that they had lost many behavioral traits. And then I decided to live with the wolves. I went there, to the Borjomi Gorge, and found one family. I was interested in how behavior is formed, how they teach wolf cubs to hunt ...
Wait. How did you get to know them, how did you gain confidence?
First, I had to determine their main paths.
What is it like?
Well, I knew how to trail something (follow the trail, hunting jargon - PP), I was fond of hunting in my youth - then I tied the muzzle with a knot. So, I figured out the paths, took old diapers (my children have already grown out of this), scolded me so that they would be saturated with my smell. And he began to lay these pieces on the trails. The matter is white, it contrasts very much - and the neophobia of the wolf is very highly developed ...
Neophobia - they are afraid of everything new. And, on the other hand, they really want to explore it - they live on such a conflict all the time. The wolves began to bypass these pieces from afar. It was interesting to watch how the distance gradually reduced - and in the end they began to tear these pieces. I then began to lay out pieces of meat there. When they started to eat it up, it meant that they got used to my smell. This all went on for about four months.
All the time in the forest? How?
Yes, it’s okay: a burka, a backpack, bowlers. I didn't take a tent. If it was necessary to kindle a fire, I went across the river. In the mountains, the air flows along the stream, so the smoke did not bother them. I already knew all their trails, I knew where the daytime rookery, rendezvous site ...
But didn't you go to them?
In no case - not to scare. And then I decided to meet. One morning I saw on the trail that they had passed - hardened, male and female - they were looking for a den for wolf cubs. And he stayed to wait for them, about fifty meters from the trail. Around noon they returned. And when they saw me, the female stopped - and the mother went straight at me. Meters up to five came up and looks. This state was, I'll tell you! When at such a distance the beast looks into your eyes. I'm unarmed - and he knows it, they know the smell of weapons well. 
Why were they unarmed?
From the weapon the person becomes impudent. He takes risks, to complicate the situation - knowing that he has a weapon behind him. I know, I had a whole arsenal at home, my father had an amazing collection, I used to handle it from childhood. And my father once taught me: to run away from the beast - there is nothing worse, it will catch up anyway. So he stood, looked, looked, then barked, turned around - and onto the path. And they quietly left. And I can’t move my tongue, as if my tongue had served time. Well, it's gone, it's really gone. But it has already become clear that this number will pass with them. He tried me - how I would react. I saw that I would not attack and I was not going to run away either.
And after that it became possible to walk with them. They're coming - I'm fifty or a hundred meters behind them. Where they are, there I am. Burka, my bowlers and all sorts of things in a backpack - and ran after them. I was in good shape thanks to my father: he was the founder of a local stunt school, and since childhood I have been involved in acrobatics, I knew how to control my body - how to jump, where to fall. But still, of course, it was hard to keep up. And they generally waved at me, at first they ignored me to the insult, as if I did not exist in the world.
So you moved in with them?
Yes, I went with them all the time. Where we stop - there I stay to sleep. Once I slept in a cloak wrapped in a rendezvous site - I hear water murmuring, something is poured onto the cloak. I look out - a hardened one with a raised leg is standing, it means that he marked me ...
And what was this flock?
Great family, the best ever. The eldest was an old wolf, then a couple of mothers - father and mother, three pereyarki (grown up puppies of past years - RR), then wolf cubs appeared. The old man no longer hunted, there was a small hillock for the rendezvous site - and he lay on it all the time, because the view is good, it can be seen from afar. The she-wolf brought him food - she burped after the hunt. Wolves have an interesting ability - they are able to regulate the secretion of the stomach. If the meat is needed for storage or to burp for an adult, it is absolutely not digested. Just a slime shell and that's it. This mucus is bactericidal - the meat in the ground does not deteriorate, in the worst case it will dry out a little. And they bring half-digested puppies to puppies - already half an hour after the hunt. And so the old man was fed by a seasoned she-wolf and one of the pereyarki.
This perennial, Guram - he fed me when I was sick there. I badly injured my leg, I was lying, I could not accompany them to hunt. They were returning, Guram would come up, look into my eyes - and op - half a meter away from me, the meat would burp. Guram was my closest friend, we were engaged in mountaineering together, he died - and in honor of him I named him this pereyarka. He really looked like - so tall, light, much lighter than the rest. And the character is very good. There are often fights between young people. And this Guram always won in them - but at the same time he never provoked them.
And they all treated you the same way?
After that meeting, the adults accepted, the parents watched the parents, they realized that I was not dangerous. And then the puppies were born - they did not know at all that I should not be there. The point is that these wolves saw me much earlier than I saw them. While I was studying their tracks, they already knew me physiognomically. And they realized that my presence provides them with a quiet life from the huntsmen. There was terrible poaching: they constantly set traps, chased them - they gave fifty rubles for a wolf. And I agreed with the rangers under the threat of a massacre: while I am here, do not touch any wolves. 
And how do they live, what do they do?
They rest for a fair amount of time. They must minimize energy costs. On days where the whole family gathers, they mostly lie, look at each other, seasoned male and female can lick each other. No adult play. And young people play a lot. Playing, resting and hunting - they do nothing else.
Do they sleep at night or during the day?
It's impossible to predict, depending on the situation. If good prey is piled up, a big deer will get drunk, they will feed the puppies or the bitch, which does not hunt after giving birth, the remains will be buried, pantries will be made - and they can wallow for days.
What kind of relationship did they have?
Very good. Pereyarki take amazing care of puppies. Everyone approached the old man, licked, fleased. The only thing is that they determine their status. Young people often fight, at first it comes to blood; and then they learn to ritualize aggression - a year and a half, when the young enter the social system of the elders. Adults also have a state of aggression - but it is ritualized. I can show fangs, grab - but there will be no scratches. It is very important.
How do they hunt?
Well, for example, the old man jumps up, sits down and starts calling others. They rub their noses. The seasoned man turns around, walks away about fifty meters, listens, returns, again some contacts - they rub their noses, look into each other's eyes, sort of like they are conferring and go hunting.
They go down the path, stop, look into the eyes again - and everyone disperses. Functions on the hunt are distributed: one runs better, drives, the second attacks better in ambush. There, for example, there was a huge meadow - a she-wolf with her daughter went into the forest, to the edge, a seasoned one attacks a deer and drives, someone blocks his path, they try to drive him closer to the edge - and there the she-wolf flies out. 
And how do they agree who will be where?
That's it. There is communication sound, smell, visual. But there is also some kind of non-verbal connection, telepathic. This is very well seen before the hunt: they seem to be conferring, looking into each other's eyes, such a fixed look - and the beast turns around, goes and does what it turns out to be adequate to do at that moment. And when all the barriers disappeared, I also got it. So I go hunting with them, the seasoned one turns around, looks into his eyes - and I run where I need to. And then it turns out that I went the right way and closed the path to the deer.
Can't he just walk past the path?
Yes, where with such horns, they will instantly overtake.
And your consciousness did not interfere with you?
At first it interfered while I thought what to do. And then no, absolutely not. Already after a few months. And about eight months later, I could already accurately describe what the wolf was doing behind me. Because all the same, there was tension all the time: it wild animals need to be controlled. And, apparently, this tension awakened the third eye, or whatever it is called.
Then I set up an experiment. Here I am training a wolf indoors: light - signal to the right, sound - to the left. There's food in the feeder. For training, for example, ten experiments are required. Then this animal remains in the room - I introduce a new wolf. He does not see or hear the first, I know for sure - I had a microphone that felt from 5 Hz to 35 kHz. No sounds. The second wolf is trained in five experiments. I bring out the first, trained - it takes ten or eleven. For what? After all, this is connected with food: the animal gets excited when it hears conditioned signals, and, apparently, mentally repeats everything that it really should have done. And somehow it is transmitted...
In general, a lot of questions have accumulated over these two years, which had to be answered experimentally. It was food for thought, for experimental work.
And how often do they manage to catch this deer?
Well, if every fourth hunt is successful.
Infrequently. And how long is it enough?
For several days. I said they make pantries. But it turned out that the wolves do not remember the existence of their pantries. But why do it then, right? I made experiments. It turned out that the function of these pantries is not to feed themselves, but to create the most stable food base for puppies. Because the probability of accidentally finding one's own or other people's pantries is so great that it is not necessary to memorize. It's good that they don't remember them - otherwise they would have eaten them themselves, but they should be left to the puppies so that they do not starve. If the cubs are malnourished, they grow up mentally ill, excitable - and their aggression is not ritualized, it always remains real. When the she-wolf is on demolition, the family begins to intensively bury the prey. Buried and forgotten. It's an incredibly adaptive inability to remember. “Adaptive incapacity” sounds absurd, but it is.
Did you want to understand how they teach wolf cubs to hunt?
Yes, all large predators teach children to hunt. From birth, they do not know how. Mustelids, for example, hunt rodents, they have one technique there, it is genetically determined. As soon as the young marten has left the nest, she can hunt, her parents do not teach her. And a wolf cub can kill a rat in the game - and immediately lose all interest in it, and can die of hunger next to this rat.
Why?
I think u large predators species diversity the victims are very large. They have some innate instinctive elements: a positive reaction to the smell of blood, the pursuit of moving objects - but this is far from being able to hunt. If an untrained wolf gets into a herd of sheep, he will simply be in a panic. He has no idea what food is. Their hunting is a culture, a tradition. And each family has its own. Families can live in the same area that only know how to hunt elk or only deer. On the one hand, this is a chic division, so as not to compete. But on the other hand, this is a classic example of tradition. If a wolf cub is not taught to hunt an elk, he himself will not learn - he does not even know the smell of it.
Where we lived with them, in Nikolaev times there was an imperial hunting ground. And at that time, one unusual method of hunting was described among wolves. In general, normally they try to let the deer go downhill, and he tries to go upstairs. In deer, this is an instinctive reaction: it is easier for them to escape at the top, and going downhill is one hundred percent death. And then the wolves specially drove him uphill - which ended in an abyss. The deer fell off there, and they calmly bypassed this mountain and hunted it there. The same reception at the same specific place was with me. Passed down from generation to generation.
So, maybe they don't need to negotiate then?
Absolutely standard situations do not exist. Old experience must be applied in a new situation - that is, to think. I have always been interested in whether animals are capable of thinking or not. I experimented with the application of old experience in new conditions. In different experiments, everything looks different - both visually and physically. But the animal is able to catch the logic of the task itself. On the hunt, without the ability to think, the beast will not be able to do anything. Only it is necessary to extrapolate the direction of movement of the victim dozens of times during the hunt. This is a fairly simple level - but you need to learn this, the wolf from the zoo will not be able to. And they are capable of a higher level: to predict the result of their actions, to act purposefully. I have had experiments that prove it.
Then I also found out that wolves can count up to seven and a multiple of seven. They often have to solve problems consisting of a large number of sets, and they can do it. Well, that is, he can easily find the third bowl in the fifth row. But, if the number is more than seven, it goes astray ...
In short, they think all the time. And if something happened on the hunt - once is enough, and they begin to apply this technique. Once a roe deer climbed into a bush - and could not move there. And they crushed her instantly. On the next hunt, they purposefully try to drive it into the bush.
And how do they teach wolf cubs?
First they bring pieces of meat, then pieces of meat with a skin - they accustom puppies to the smell of prey. Moreover, they do it strictly by age. At four months, adults begin to call the cubs to prey. They will get a deer - and howl call, show how it looks. Then they are taught to take a trail and trail. At first, the puppies do not understand in which direction to run along the trail - but after a few days they already track correctly. But if they catch up, they run away: up to nine months they experience an overwhelming fear of a deer. Then they begin to go hunting with adults. At first, they just run around, they are still afraid, then they start to drive, then bite - and gradually master the techniques, by about a year and a half. Everyone has their own tricks - it depends on strength, character. Someone rushes to the croup, someone to the side. If the wolf is weaker, he will choose tactics where there is less effort, if cowardly, he will act as safer. And the roles add up: one drives, the other directs, the third is in ambush ...
And besides, the cubs are playing with each other all this time. If we compare how the wolf cub attacks during the game - and then on the hunt, it turns out that it is the same. At the same time, they learn to feel, understand each other. And then these skills are honed on real objects. They start with a small one, with a hare, learn how best to take it. Moreover, training goes on from one time: once you made a mistake - you won’t repeat it a second time.
Did this family change in any way while you lived there?
Only one was kicked out pereyarka. He had a very difficult character, all the time some kind of conflicts arose - and they kicked him out. It seems that an aggressive individual should become a dominant. But if this aggressiveness crosses some line, then the entire social system, with all low-ranking individuals, unites and expels him. This is such a mechanism that stops excessive aggression. And this beast will never be able to find a sexual partner. Thus, if it is a gene for aggressiveness, it is excised.
And where did he go?
Well, out of bounds. In wolves, territories do not touch, the system is not closed. The border is two to three kilometers from the border, there are neutral zones so that individuals can go out. A family cannot grow indefinitely. Although only one pair breeds, the dominant one is a full-grown wolf with a she-wolf. In perennials, even estrus does not occur, as a rule; in order to reproduce, they must either leave or wait until their parents grow old. But all the same, the litters are large - and about once every four years the family reaches a critical number, it becomes crowded. All mammals have a need to realize a certain amount of social contacts. And as soon as this number goes beyond the norm, noise begins in the group, conflicts arise. The distance during sleep increases - this is the first indicator. Normally, they sleep closely. The number of aggressive interactions increases, social distance increases - and groupings are formed. One group has little contact with the other, and eventually someone has to leave. The dominant group remains.
And where are those?
How lucky there. If you enter someone else's territory, they will kill you. But it happens that you can join others - if their group is small, they lack social contacts. Or he will come out to a man and start slaughtering sheep.
Pereyarka was kicked out and the old man died. It was just the time when the wolf cubs come out of the lair. Wolf cubs are born in the den and do not want to get out, they have neophobia. And the lair is always arranged somewhere else, secluded, not at the rendezvous site. And so we all gathered there in the evening, except for the old man. At dawn, I was awakened by a screech - the wolf cubs were hungry, their mother had not fed them for almost a day. Just look at them for a minute - and back, lies down in front of the lair. And my older sister too. And the rest sit around, waiting, in suspense. I could already see the day before that the wolves were worried, waiting for something. It lasted four hours. In the end, muzzles appear from the hole, so charming. It was a very exciting moment. I remember catching myself whining with delight too. The mother crawled up, licked them, came back - and then they decided. The peanuts fell out of there, hobbled to their mother, sucked. Everyone surrounded them, sniffing ...
And suddenly we heard a terrible howl, just terrible. It was immediately clear that something terrible was going on there. We ran back - the old man was sitting on a hillock and howling, heartbreakingly, some kind of cry of despair. And then he left - and that's it.
Matery took his place only a month later. For a month, I did not go up to any of them. As if some kind of commemoration, I can not explain. I'm afraid to anthropomorphize. But I can imagine: firstly, the smell of death is a very strong thing for animals. They are not afraid of death in advance, they do not know what death is. But the smell of death, while the wolf is dying, before rigor has yet set in, they are terribly afraid.
And they say that wolves eat the sick, the old?
Yes, these are all stories. Young people often die from fights: if they get hurt - bleeding or infection, they will not be able to move, they will weaken. Before one year old only half survive. But purposefully never kill. And about cannibalism is a bluff. Of course, you can bring. During the blockade and the Volga hunger strike, the children of their parents also ate, and the parents of the children ate.
In fact, they have fantastically developed mutual assistance. They saved my life too. We were returning from hunting, but the hunt was terribly unsuccessful. Either a few deer left us, or something else. All day and by evening, we were barely dragging our feet. And the wolves are tired, and I - you can imagine. And somewhere about five kilometers from the rendezvous site, a huge boulder lay. I go up to him, I have to sit down, the truth is no strength. And from there a bear rears up. And the distance is like you and me. I don’t remember now: I screamed or he made some sounds - but the wolves heard and rushed. Although one of his blows could rip this wolf apart. The she-wolf took him by the heel - and then the poet's soul could not bear it, he went down, under the slope.
Then for the first time I thought about altruism: what is it? So, this is the realization of a biological need. What will happen - the beast does not think about it. And then I realized that everything we have, what we are proud of, is not something we came up with, it all comes from there ... But it is interesting that they do not protect wolf cubs from humans - they understand that it is better to remain a producer than to die for everyone. And this is acquired, culture. Wolf cubs are protected from any other animal - from a lynx, for example, or from neighbors, other wolves.
What happens when others attack?
It rarely happens when territorial wars. If food runs out in that area for some reason - usually because of a person.
Did your wolves howl at the moon?
They don't howl at the moon, it's just that the full moon causes a rush of emotions.
Why are they howling?
Communicate with other groups, this is social contact, "touch". In addition, this is information - about the distance to other animals, about the status, about emotional state. Everyone has their own party - and apparently, they are strictly functional.
How do they know how to howl?
In general, there are two categories of sounds. Congenital, to which the reaction of others is also innate. For example, the sound of danger is such a snorting bark. Puppies hear him - run away, although no one taught them. And there are acquired sounds that have been taught. Moreover, there are dialects: for example, a Kakhetian wolf is unlikely to understand a wolf from Western Georgia. I was in Canada, at the invitation of John Teberg, came to national park. I started wailing (howling invitingly - RR), turned around - st-lu-lu - in Georgian, let out curlicues - and in general the wolves didn’t give a damn about me. I was terribly offended. And Teberge just played the clarinet like that - uuuu - and that's it, they went crazy, they began to wail.
And what do all these curls mean? What do they say to each other?
If I knew, I would make a dictionary. These questions also interest me terribly - it's a pity that there is no opportunity to study. Various information is transmitted. For example, I found that parents, when wolf cubs call to prey at a great distance, then howl explain how to go. There are trails, you can't go straight. The seasoned one goes to the turn - howls, the puppy hears. Then until the next - there will howl. At four or five months, the cubs already understand, this zigzag is formed in the imagination, they easily find it. There is a howl for gathering a pack - when the group disperses and the wolf is bored. This sound is easy to distinguish - it brings such melancholy, turns the soul out. To be honest, there are many different views on this topic, but so far little is clear. There is such a San Sanych Nikolsky in Moscow, he knows all this better, ask him.
And you sat with them for two years? Without getting out?
No, when you sit in the forest for three months, the soul of human communication requires. Sometimes I returned home, to Tbilisi for a few days, it was impossible for longer, so as not to lose the habit.
Did you say you already had children?
Yes, there were small children. The children in the apartment with the wolves grew up, it was a whole mess. In general, I was such a black sheep, because all normal zoologists dealt with animals that can be eaten. “How to deal with an animal that cannot be eaten? I would take care of the deer!” They were sure that I still earn money on my wolves, I kill them, I sell their skins. These people could not but think so: the salary was one hundred and forty rubles, and for a wolf they gave fifty rubles as a bonus. Surely someone sent financial inspectors: where are the wolf cases? Wolves often die. I say buried. Well, how could they believe that I buried such money? I had to go there, dig up these unfortunate ones, already decomposed, at least to find wool. And I earned money in different ways: I was engaged in chasing, Jewelry made, according to cupronickel, silver, sold on the sly, worked as an auto mechanic. The salary was not enough, of course, to work experimentally with tame animals, but they had to be fed with meat. But what could I do? I had an irresistible desire to do it.
And what happened to the wolf family?
It was impossible to settle there forever, I would love to, but it was impossible. And a year later I returned - and it turned out that before that fifty-four wolves had been exterminated there, including mine. It was very hard...
And after that, the reserve was filled with feral dogs, because there was no one to hold the borders. Then I tamed others, I had five more families - but that turned out to be the most important for me. Further and the distance we had more, and not so interesting, to be honest. Basically, those wolves walked with sheep, wandered to winter and summer pastures. And this is psychologically completely different animals, an uninteresting life.
Wolves are one of the most widespread predators on our planet. They live in cold, and, and in the steppes, and in the mountains, in the territories of Asia, Europe and North America. For many centuries, people have been side by side with wolves - they are afraid, they fight, they tame, they compose legends and fairy tales, they try to exterminate, they try to study and understand ... The wolf at various periods of our history was both a patron totem, and a demonic creature and henchman dark forces. He was sung as a symbol of freedom and fidelity, he was also credited with extreme cruelty and deceit.
So what is he, this legendary predator?
1. One of the main character traits of a wolf is neophobia, i.e. fear of everything new, unusual. And at the same time, curiosity is very pronounced, the desire to find out whether the new threat to the pack. At the peak of such psychological conflict, wolves live.
2. There is a very clear hierarchy in the wolf pack, everyone in the family has their own role. Wolf cubs are born only in one pair - a seasoned leader wolf and his she-wolf. The rest of the pack wolves often may not come into heat. But born wolf cubs are loved, protected and raised by all members of the pack.
3. Wolves have a very developed mutual assistance, guardianship of their family. The wolf may rush to protect his relatives, even if he knows that he will not be able to win the fight. Young members of the pack bring meat to the old leader or puppies. The leader will defend his mate until his last breath, but he may refuse to fight for puppies - for the survival of the pack, and for the whole species, it is more important to preserve adults capable of giving birth to new cubs.
4. The wolf is able to consciously regulate his digestion. If the she-wolf needs to feed the puppies, she swallows the meat and regurgitates it near the den. In just half an hour in the stomach, meat can reach a state of semi-digested. But there are situations when you need to feed an adult member of the pack - an old man, a wounded relative or a she-wolf with small cubs. Then the wolf is able to carry the meat in itself for several hours and burp it absolutely fresh, in a shell of bactericidal mucus.
5. Wolves make a lot of supplies and caches, especially when the main she-wolf of the pack is preparing for motherhood. And then they are forgotten about. It turns out that the wolves do not stock up for themselves, but for future puppies. It is not always possible to get fresh meat, but wolf cubs should not starve. And if a lot of secret pantries are made on the family territory, then the kids are much more likely to feed themselves and survive.
6. Young wolves up to three years old remain under the care of their mother and pack, all this time they learn the tricks of hunting and survival in the forest. In the first year of life, up to half of the cubs die. Up to 3-4 years, about 30% survive.
7. The stories that the strongest and most ferocious wolf becomes the leader are erroneous. A pack can exorcise a vicious bully and bully, especially if it harms someone who is younger. And the other flock will not accept him either. So goes natural selection Nobody wants to be overly aggressive.
8. Wolves are extraordinarily intelligent animals and one of the best hunters. They are able to count, calculate the trajectory of the victim, study its habits and habits, choose tactics and distribute roles in future hunting. They can hide, wait, pursue a chosen target for several days. They can remember the smell of the enemy, they can take revenge after a few years.
9. The body of a wolf is ideally suited for hunting, but he is not a born hunter. If the wolf cub is not trained, and then released into the world, he will never be able to hunt. Each pack does it in its own way, it's their culture, their traditions. There are packs that hunt only wild boar or only roe deer. They have their own techniques, passed down from generation to generation. A wolf cub can catch and strangle a hare in the game, but he will not eat it - he simply will not know that it is food.
10. Young wolf cubs spend a lot of time playing with each other. And in these games, a hierarchy is determined, hunting skills are laid, attack and defense techniques are practiced. Adult wolves do not participate in games. Their daily routine is hunting and sleeping.
