BLUF
Old studies of captive wolves gave researchers the idea that wolf packs are led by a dictator—an alpha wolf. However, more recent studies show that there is no such thing as an alpha wolf in the wild.Summary
This article by Stephanie Pappas, writing for Scientific American, makes the following points:
- Unrelated, adult wolves in captivity behave differently, similar to what happens in a human prison.
- Researchers found that in the wild, packs are usually led by a breeding pair, and duels for supremacy are rare.
- With the new research, wildlife experts have stopped using the term' alpha wolf'.
References
Recent Runway Posts related to this topic:
- CRITICAL THINKING 01: COLLECTION | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
- EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION 01: COLLECTION | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
References from the Web:
- APR 2021 Wolf packs don’t actually have alpha males and alpha females, the idea is based on a misunderstanding—sciencenorway
- NOV 2022 There’s no such thing as ‘alpha’ males or females in wolf packs—ZME Science
