Wolves And Their Dominance Hierarchy

Wolves are an extremely common favorite animal for many children and adults. Maybe it is due to their sense of mystery, but also the familiarity they have. Humans in our current culture are well adjusted to the Canidae family, since many have a domesticated one living in their own household. Wolves are actually the largest members of the Canidae family. They have their own social structure. Their social order, otherwise known as dominance hierarchies, is divided into separate ranks for each member in the hierarchy (Wolf, Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia.) Even their reproductive relationships are divided up since Zoologists believe that wolves mate for life. These pairs results in cubs, which the care for falls onto the entire pack (Dogs, Wolves, and Coyotes., Salem Press Encyclopedia of Science). In this paper, we hope to unveil some of the mysteries of Wolves through analyzing their dominance hierarchies, reproductive relationships, and care of young so that one has a fuller understand of the mammalian societies of wolves. The dominance hierarchy is the social structure

All wolves within a pack have their own place in the dominance hierarchy. At the top of the pack are the higher ranking members, otherwise known as dominant wolves. As one goes farther down the chain, one will find the subordinate wolves, which are the low-ranking members of the pack. Ranking determines many factors in the life of the wolf, including mating as we will discuss later. A wolf’s rank is so influential that wolves of different social ranking will display their ranking to each other at almost every encounter. If a dominant and subordinate wolf were to interact, the dominant wolf would stand erect with its ears pointed up and forward and tail aloft. In contrast, the subordinate wolf would be crouching with its ears turned down and tail between its legs. On occasion, the subordinate wolf may also