Jason E. Andersen

This week’s fun fact comes from my wife who, in many ways, is a much better biologist than I am. I’ve always said that I am a terrible wildlife biologist, because I don’t really know anything about mammals. Birds are really where it’s at, after all. Michelle on the other hand, does know about mammals, and is a particular fan of wolves.

Bonus Fun Fact: ‘Alpha’ wolves are really just moms and dads leading their families.

The prevalent understanding of wolves is that there is an alpha male at the top of the pack hierarchy, and they got there by fighting other males to establish their dominance. The wolf alpha male is revered as the pinnacle of bad-assery. Unfortunately, this concept really doesn’t exist in nature and is based on an old misunderstanding of how wolves interact.

The concept of the alpha wolf actually comes from wolves in captivity. When you mix a bunch of wolves together who do not have an established social structure, like they would have in their pack, they have to establish one. This is where the fighting and dominance comes into play.

It is much simpler for wolves in nature. Good wildlife biologists, who have studied mammals, have learned that wolf packs are essentially the immediate families of breeding males and females. The dominant breeders, upon which the alpha concept was based, are really just the parents of the rest of the pack, leading their family. When a young male gets antsy, instead of fighting for dominance in the pack, they simply go off and start their own happy pack family.