Wolves belong to families called packs in the wild. These packs usually consist of 8-15 members. There are rare exceptions where there are only one wolf or a "lone wolf" this wolf is usually the lowest member of the pack or "omega" which is driven out of a pack and has to find a new mate or pack or be alone. Wolf packs have very large ranges from 20-600 miles of territory. The alpha pair in a wolf pack has the most social freedom in the pack. They do not bark orders to the other wolves in the pack though however have the freedom to choose what they do and the rest of the pack usually follows their lead. In larger packs there are beta wolves or a second in command after the alphas. Then there are other wolves and the lowest of the pack the omega often which has the most aggression against it in the pack and have the fewest priviledges.
Rank and order in these wolf packs are maintain through a series of ritualized fights and and bluffing positions. Wolves prefer mental attributes over physical attributes. This means personality and attitude are bigger factors than physical size and strength. Wolves rank in these packs when they become older and give way to ambitious young challengers.
By: Andrew Ryan
I wonder how many other groups of animals have this same hierarchy structure. I know that most animals that travel in packs have a tendency to have a leader. It is interesting to see that wolves tend to have males as alphas and some other species have females such as elephants.
ReplyDeleteI notice that with my two dogs that there is always a struggle to determine who is the more dominant one. It is interesting to see that there is this innate instinct to determine dominance in the animal kingdom.
Posted by Noelle Kellicker
The social ranking system in wolves is really evolved. I wonder how a wolf gets kicked out of a pack. Is the wolf not strong or fast enough to keep up or is the wolf constantly fighting with the other wolves? How do wolves measure mental attributes? I personally never thought wolves could understand or cared about personality. Is is forming packs an innate behavior. Are there relatives of the wolf that exhibit pack forming behavior too?
ReplyDeletePosted by Nick Gast
I wonder if the older and higher ranked male wolves also have an advantage over selection in mate choice. Do the female wolves prefer the higher ranked wolves even if they are much older an not as strong? It would be interesting to see what qualities in males they prefer the most.
ReplyDeletePosted by Ryan Brooks
I've heard aboutn wolf packs and how they have different levels of command. I knew alpha was top, but I didn't know omega was the lowest and the origin of a the 'lone wolf' (shame the lone wolf is actually the odd one out and not the badass we all like to think he/she is). Still, I think you should go over your entry before posting it. You have several errors including run-on sentences and number confusion. Also, did you obtain this information from a source? If so, you should cite it or at least provide a link to where you obtained the information.
ReplyDeletePosted by Austin Gray
Great post Andrew. Do you know how the "lone wolf" gets chosen? Are the fighting matches between wolves in the pack constant? Or once the wolf fights, it will determine its rank in the pack? It reminds me of dogs that choose the alpha male and also the runt in the pack, this relating to the close lineage to the wolves and dogs.
ReplyDeletePosted by Ryan Dulmaine
I wonder how males in the pack go about trying to seek the "alpha male" status. What behaviors are observed in challenging the current alpha male? And also, can the "omega male" challenge his position and potential exile from the pack? I am not too educated in the hunting tactics of a wolf pack; I understand that in lions, it's the females that do the hunting but the male of the pride is the one to get first dibs on the catch and get his fill. Is the feeding frenzy similar for a pack of wolves or does hierarchy not play a role in it? I am fascinated with the animal kingdom and thus watch many documentaries on many different species to try to expand my knowledge, however, I have yet to come across one of wolves. I would love to learn more about these wild canines and the way they live their lives throughout their time on Earth.
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