The Behavior Of A Pack Of Wolves
Wolves are one of the animals that has most aroused human curiosity. Perhaps it is because of his close coexistence with us throughout millennia, or perhaps it is his close relationship with the origin of the dog, man’s best friend. Let’s see how a pack of wolves behaves.
Normally, herds of animals only require their members to walk together. However, important relationships develop between these canids. The wolf pack has a specific hierarchy and great cooperation to bring down its prey.
Not all wolves are the same
The wolves have extended their dominion across the planet. This, despite the fact that its distribution has been greatly reduced by coexistence with humans, specifically, by the conflict between wolves and cattle ranchers. Due to the tremendous ecological success of wolves, there are many subspecies. However, the greatest consensus is found among those that number about 14 subspecies.
These subspecies keep multiple differences, and make the wolf a species that can range, in the adult stage, from 10 to 70 kg. The great variation in weight between the different subspecies is the reason why some of them hunt larger animals. Thus, they need larger herds to undertake the task.
For example, in the United States a pack of 30 canids of wolves has been seen. Moreover, it is normal for this subspecies of wolf to be organized in groups of 20. However, smaller specimens, such as our Iberian wolf ( Canis lupus signatus), form a herd of a maximum of 7 animals. That is, the number of a herd depends on the species, and varies enormously.
The myth of the alpha wolf
The general culture tends to explain the social life of wolves through the figure of the alpha male. This one would arrive at the top of the hierarchy demonstrating his physical superiority before the rest of males of the group. The truth is that among experts on this canid around the world, the popular concept of the alpha male is being questioned.
It was David Mech, one of the greatest experts on this species, who coined the term during his first studies in the 1960s. And it is the same who now discards its use. Mech’s studies were based on artificial herds created in captivity, and not on the way herds gestate in the wild.
Herd or family?
According to Mech, it would be much more appropriate to speak of breeding males and females. The leader of the wolf pack is not the one who defeats the rest, rather he is the one who reproduces. In fact, there is not much competition for it, since the rest are usually the offspring of the breeding pair.
This means that the herds are still synonymous with the family group. Here, parents live with their litter until the offspring are ready to continue their lives separately. In fact, wolves have between 3 and 8 pups per litter. This is enough to form a herd with your own brood.
There will, however, be alpha males in captive groups, where wolves are not family. In the wild, the alpha male figure can also appear in large herds, such as in Yellowstone. To form these large groups, several breeding pairs are necessary. Of course, there may be competition between them.
Cooperation within the wolf pack
In large herds, group strategy is key. The wolf will use various strategies to be able to catch up with the fast ungulates that it usually hunts. For example, in summer, they will tend to carry their prey into rocky areas, swamps or rivers.
In winter, by contrast, their mere presence can make a deer nervous enough to get stuck in the snow. These large herds are known to go after large prey, such as the fearsome American bison.
Within the wolf pack, the young often act as mere observers, to learn. Although there are no established roles, wolves take advantage of their physical differences in hunting. We will see that the females, lighter, often act directing the stampede. The heavier males are usually the ones who hunt the prey once it is disoriented. Again, the role of the “alpha” is anecdotal. In fact, the wolves do not seem to act on his command. Everyone knows what to do when the time comes.
