Wolf Pack Definition Wolves

“Alpha Wolf” is a term that is used a lot in pop culture. The concept as we know it today dates back to a 1947 study by animal behaviorist Rudolph Schenkel [source: International Wolf Center]. At birth, cubs weigh about a pound and are dark-haired. They are deaf, blind, have little or no sense of smell and cannot self-regulate their body heat. For their safety, cubs are born in a cave. Pregnant wolves usually dig burrows themselves, often three weeks before puppies are born. They prefer their cave sites to be located on high areas near water. Dens are usually tunnels that extend six to fourteen feet into the earth. At the end of the tunnel, there is an enlarged chamber where newborn puppies are kept.

Puppies are believed to be between eight and ten weeks old when they leave the cave. In this wolf pack vision, robots attack with weapons ranging from machine guns to missiles to wandering drones. Wolves are territorial creatures. Depending on the region, the terrain of a single pack can vary from less than 100 square miles (259 square kilometers) to more than 1,000 square miles (2,590 square kilometers). Intrusion into another group`s domain can open the door to confrontation [sources: International Wolf Center, Mech and Boitani]. However, Schenkel did not look at wild wolves at the time. Wolves smell by spreading urine and feces on targets above the ground, such as a tree stump. This signals to intruders that they are approaching borders and provides wolves with olfactory panels. Howls can also be used to signal rival packs and hopefully keep them at bay [sources: International Wolf Center, Cassidy et al.]. In summer, large prey like moose and deer are well fed, making it harder for wolf packs to shoot them.

David Mech, a well-known wolf researcher, said in a YouTube presentation in 2008: Subscribe to America`s largest dictionary and get thousands of additional definitions and an advanced search – ad-free! Like many people, wolves live in extended families called packs. Pack life ensures the care and feeding of the young and allows the wolves to defend their common territory. Wolves live in packs because cooperation allows them to kill larger prey. Young wolves remain at meeting places while adults hunt the surrounding landscape. When adults return from hunting, puppies lick the muzzles of adult animals, and wolves choke predigested food for young puppies. Their typical pack of wild wolves consists of two breeding adults and their offspring. New puppies are born in the spring in litters, which typically consist of four to six babies, each weighing about 1 pound (0.45 kilograms). Often, little Tykes are cared for by both parents – as well as their older siblings [sources: International Wolf Center, Mech and Boitani]. The male and female leaders of the pack are called breeding pairs (formerly called alphas).

These two animals lead the pack on a hunt and often eat first when a kill is performed. These are usually the only wolves in a pack that mate and produce puppies, but in areas where prey is abundant and life is generally stress-free, multiple litters can occur within a pack. Puppies are born in spring (after a gestation period of 63). The whole pack participates in the education of young people. The average litter size is four puppies. When wolves become adolescents and reach sexual maturity, many leave their home territory to look for a mate. These wolves are called dispersers. The long, prolonged howl of a “lone wolf” will hopefully attract another untied wolf. The two new self-proclaimed Alphas find a suitable territory to start their own family. The affair with the wolf had gone so well that Alan began to think of other adventures.

The largest packages are not necessarily the most successful. Having extra mouths to feed can be a real inconvenience if your prey is scarce [source: International Wolf Center]. How can wolves know where their land begins and ends? Sometimes the nose knows. At present, most of these wolf packs are concentrated in the remote corner of the northeastern part of the state, where they often come into conflict with herders. After moving, young adults try to find partners and start their own packs, which restarts the cycle.