( intro - rules - info - setting - ranks - relationships - status )
Body Postures• Dominance: A dominant wolf stands stiff legged and tall. The ears are erect and forward, and the hackles bristle slightly. Often the tail is held vertical and curled toward the back. This display shows the wolf's rank to all others in the pack. A dominant lupine may stare penetratingly at a submissive one, pin it to the ground, "ride up" on its shoulders, or even stand on its hind legs.
• Submission (active): In active submission, the entire body is lowered, and the lips and ears are drawn back. Sometimes active submission is accompanied by a rapid thrusting out of the tongue and lowering of the hindquarters. The tail is placed down, or halfway or fully between the legs, and the muzzle often points up to the more dominant animal. The back may be partially arched as the submissive wolf humbles itself to its superior. (A more arched back and more tucked tail indicate a greater level of submission.)
• Submission (passive): Passive submission is more intense than active submission. The wolf rolls on its back and exposes its vulnerable throat and underside. The paws are drawn into the body. This is often accompanied by whimpering.
• Anger: An angry lupine's ears are erect, and its fur bristles. The lips may curl up or pull back, and the incisors are displayed. The wolf may also snarl.
• Fear: A frightened wolf tries to make its body look small and therefore less conspicuous. The ears flatten down against the head, and the tail may be tucked between the legs, as with a submissive wolf. There may also be whimpering or barks of fear, and the wolf may arch its back.
• Aggression/tension: An aggressive wolf snarls and its fur bristles. The wolf may crouch, ready to attack if necessary.
• Suspicion: Pulling back of the ears shows a lupine is suspicious. In addition, the wolf narrows its eyes. The tail of a wolf that senses danger points straight out, parallel to the ground.
• Relaxation: A relaxed wolf's tail points straight down, and the wolf may rest sphinx-like or on its side. The wolf's tail may also wag. The further down the tail droops, the more relaxed the wolf is.
• Happiness: As dogs do, a lupine may wag its tail if it is in a joyful mood. The tongue may loll out of the mouth.
• Playfulness: A playful lupine holds its tail high and wags it. The wolf may frolic and dance around, or bow by placing the front of its body down to the ground, while holding the rear high, sometimes wagged. This is reminiscent of the playful behavior executed in domestic dogs.
Additional informationSize and Behavior wrote:• Usually 26–36 inches tall at the
shoulder, 4–6 feet long from nose to
tail tip.
• Males weigh 100–130 pounds, and
females weigh 80–110 pounds.
• Average lifespan in the park is 4–5
years. Average lifespan outside is 2–3
years. The oldest known wolf to live
here was 12.5 years.
• Two main color variations exist in the
park in approximately equal proportions:
black and gray.
• Prey primarily on hoofed animals. In
Yellowstone, 90% of winter diet is elk and
summer prey consist of more deer and
smaller mammals.
• They mate in Winter.
• Give birth to average of five pups in
Spring after a gestation period of 63 days.
• Young emerge from den at 10–14 days;
pack remains at the den for 3–10 weeks
unless disturbed.
• Leading cause of death for wolves within
the park is death by other wolves.
Wolves belong to family groups called packs, they usually consist of eight to twenty members. The rare exception is what is popularly know as a lone wolf, this wolf would most likely be the lowest member of a pack (the omega) that was driven out of the pack or a dispersed wolf, if it is lucky, the lone wolf may find a mate and start a new pack.
The alpha pair has the greatest amount of social freedom and dominance among all the pack members. There are various subordinates, who dominate the omega. The omega is the lowest. It is the baby-sitter and usually more puppy than wolf. In most packs, there may be also be a beta wolf or wolves - a "second-in-command" to the alphas. In addition, one wolf typically assumes the role of omega, the lowest-ranking member of a pack. These individuals absorb the greatest amount of aggression from the rest of the pack, and consequently enjoy comparatively few individual privileges.
Usually, only the alpha pair is able to successfully rear a litter of pups (other wolves in a pack may breed, and may even produce pups, but usually they lack the freedom or the resources to raise the pups to maturity). All the wolves in the pack assist in raising wolf pups. Some mature individuals, usually females, may choose to stay in the original pack so as to reinforce it and help rear more pups. Most, males particularly, will disperse, however.
Rank order is established and maintained through a series of ritualized fights and posturing best described as ritual bluffing. Wolves prefer psychological warfare to physical confrontations, meaning that high-ranking status is based more on personality or attitude than on size or physical strength. Rank, who holds it, and how it is enforced varies widely between packs and between individual animals. Loss of rank can happen gradually or suddenly. An older wolf may simply choose to give way when an ambitious challenger presents itself, yielding its position without bloodshed. On the other hand, the challenged individual may choose to fight back, with varying degrees of intensity. While the majority of wolf aggression is non-damaging and ritualized, a high-stakes fight can easily result in injury for either or both parties. The loser of such a confrontation is frequently chased away from the pack or, rarely, may be killed as other aggressive wolves contribute to the insurgency. This kind of dominance encounter is more common in the winter months, when mating occurs.
Wolves will defend their territory, they work as a pack to harass larger animals like bears, most times if the animal runs away the wolves will not attack.
