Wolves. Laws of the wolf pack

Think about some interesting features your dog's daily behavior: they may howl, dig holes, sniff out odors and tree bark. All these actions constitute behavior transmitted at the genetic level from their ancestors - wolves. We think you will not argue with us on this matter. In fact, some of these traits, of course, are definitely generic, but it turns out that not all of them can be classified as such.

Since dogs are direct descendants of wolves, it is clear that many of the innate behaviors of our four-legged friends come from their ancestors. However, it is interesting that barking cannot be classified as such. Actually a mature wolf wildlife does not bark like our pets. This behavior is limited to cubs and juveniles.

The reason for the lack of barking is that in the wild, wolves know that if they are in real danger, it is best to behave as quietly as possible, without making their presence known until the threat has passed.

Dog's reaction to direct threat

On the other hand, our canine companions prefer to deal with threats in the opposite direction - barking at them until they go away. But if wolves are the ancestors of dogs, why are their ability to bark reduced to zero?

Some researchers believe that dogs acquired this behavior pattern because of their close relationship with humans. Humans are very musical, and our puppies quickly learn to hear, understand and respond in the same way. But we are not so good at deciphering their nonverbal signals.

To make sure their owners understand that they are trying to communicate, our dogs default to certain verbal cues. However, there are other researchers who believe that a dog's barking is due to years of selective breeding. We prefer dogs that are gentle and friendly and have developed these characteristics in our pets over the years. And, you guessed it, barking is just side effect these relatively recently acquired skills.

Conclusion

If you ask what barking is, we will answer that it is simply one of the many attractive behaviors without which we cannot imagine a four-legged creature.

Whether our dogs bark to communicate with us or simply because they look more like a young wolf than a mature wolf, we perceive this behavior as a natural reaction of our four-legged friend to certain stimuli.

Wolves. Laws wolf pack.

The proverb “Man is a wolf to man” was born a long time ago - this is what they say about cruel relationships between people. In fact, this saying is not at all fair. Wolves in a pack behave very friendly. In it, everyone has their own place and strict order reigns in relationships.The unwritten law covers all aspects of the life of the pack.

Based on a system of dominance (superiority), it establishes priority in access to food, the right to have offspring or the obligation to obey, and grants the privilege to behave freely. Hostility, quarrels, attacks, and fights are rare in the pack. Everything is decided by the unambiguous actions of strong wolves, “explaining” who is in charge and who is subordinate. But more often than not, the entire flock follows the will of recognized leaders. Thus, thanks to the mutual understanding of the members of the pack, harmony is maintained in it. Friendships play a huge role in uniting the pack.

But, of course, wolves are not at all good-natured cuties. On the contrary, compared to, say, any dog, they are much more aggressive and assertive.

Their feelings are stronger and more definite: if wolf A loves wolf B, then he loves precisely B, and not all wolves in the world. That's why wolves love their own - members of their pack.

The nature of relationships in a pack is altruistic. That is, each animal subordinates its personal interests to the interests of the entire “collective”. With other relationships, the flock cannot exist as a single organism. The rank of an animal depends on the level of mental development, and not just on physical data.

After all, as you know, it is not so much the strongest that survives, but the smartest. And the leader has to organize the hunt (wolves have a group driven type of hunt, which requires good organization), and make decisions about the division of the prey.

Therefore, peace and quiet reign in the flock. The younger ones obey the elders and feel absolutely protected, while the elders bear the burden of responsibility for everyone.

The wolf pack has seven ranks, it is a perfectly organized society where everyone understands their rights and responsibilities. Management occurs without force, everything is clearly organized, roles are distributed, no one is holding anyone back, but for some reason everyone chooses to live together. The allocation of social ranks in a pack is weakly related to gender and seniority in age. These factors, like physical strength, only ensure the performance of useful functions, nothing more.

Having killed a deer, the wolves stop hunting until all the meat is gone and hunger forces them to get down to business again.

Who are the seasoned, arrived, over-Yarks?

Seasoned (mainland) - this, as scientists say, is the dominant, that is, the main, wolf - the leader! He has offspring and owns the plot. The seasoned one can be both male and female. They are the main couple in the wolf pack.
Puppies that have not yet reached the age of one year are called arrived. They are the youngest in the family. There may be 7-9 of them,
but, as a rule, 3-5. The newborns are in the care of adult wolves, at first mainly the mother, the seasoned she-wolf.

Pereyarki are children of the previous year of birth , remaining on the parents' property. in spring and early summer they live on the outskirts of the family plot and maintain relationships with their parents. In the second half of summer they approach the center of the site, and in the fall they unite with their parents and younger brothers and sisters. As a rule, there are fewer perennials in a family than arrived ones, since not all children stay with their parents for the second year. There are also families without overlights.

In some families there are more than two adult wolves. In relation to the mature pair, the rest occupy a subordinate position and most often do not have offspring. They are often classified as overbright, although this is not entirely true. In terms of age, these are adult animals, but in terms of their role in the family, they are close to pereyarks. Seasoned, arrived and pereyarki make up a typical wolf family, which can be both simpler and more complex.

Leader is the highest social rank. Assumes responsibility for the entire flock. The leader decides issues of habitat, hunting, protection, organizes everyone, establishes ranks in the pack.

The leader uses his priority right to food at his own discretion. For example, he gives his share to puppies if there is not enough food. His job is to take care of everyone, and the puppies are the future of the pack. However, if the starving leader is unable to lead the pack, everyone will be in danger, so his priority right to food is not disputed.

During the period of establishing a den and feeding puppies, the mature female becomes the main one, and all members of the pack obey her. American researcher David Meech suggested a “division of labor” and leadership between the sexes depending on the time of year and type of activity.
Wolves in a pack, including a couple of seasoned ones, are not always the same age. If the she-wolf is older and more experienced than her partner, then she can determine both the route and hunting tactics, guiding the choice of prey. If older spouse, then the solution to most vital issues depends on him, he even chooses the location for the future lair.

Senior warrior - organizes hunting and protection, a contender for the role of leader in the event of his death or inability to lead the pack.

The mother is an adult she-wolf who has experience raising wolf cubs. She can perform the duties of a mother both in relation to her cubs and in relation to the children of less experienced mothers.

The birth of “children” does not automatically elevate the she-wolf to the rank of mother. As with any other rank, it requires a certain psychophysical development, the ability to make decisions necessary for life.

The mother's tasks include raising and raising offspring.

In the event of an attack on the flock, it is the mothers who take all the weak ones to safety, while the warriors hold the defense.

Senior mother - if necessary, can take the rank of leader. Never competes with an older warrior. The vacated rank is occupied by the most worthy, capable of leading the pack.

There are no fights to determine who is stronger.

During the period of feeding and raising children, all mothers of the pack are under special protection and care.

Reproduction is among wolves and this side of life is organized very beautifully. Once a year, the flock splits into families to give birth and raise offspring. Not everyone is allowed to reproduce. The main condition is to understand your place and role in a large pack family. Therefore, those who do not have a mate live third in a small wolf family, helping to hunt and raise wolf cubs.

Pairs of wolves are for life. If one of the partners dies, a new couple is not created...

Guardian - is responsible for raising the wolf cubs. There are two sub-ranks: pestun and uncle.

Pestun - young she-wolves or wolves that do not claim the rank of warrior, grown-up young animals of the previous litter. They are subordinate to their mothers and carry out their orders, gaining skills in raising and training growing wolf cubs. These are their first duties in the pack.

Uncle is an adult male who does not have his own family and helps raise wolf cubs.

Signalman - warning the flock about dangers. The decisions are made by the more responsible members of the pack.

Puppy is the sixth rank, no responsibility other than obedience to elders, but gives priority to food and protection.

A disabled person is not crippled, but simply an old individual, has the right to food and protection. Wolves take care of their elders.

Why does a wolf need a keen sense of smell?

Animals constantly communicate with each other, and sometimes the forms of this communication (communication) can be very complex. In mammals, three types of communication are most strongly developed: chemical, that is, with the help of smells, acoustic, that is, with the help of sounds, visual (visual), that is, with the help of postures, facial expressions and gestures.

Chemical communication is the most ancient form communication between animals, it already appeared in unicellular organisms. Most mammals have a sensitive sense of smell. And the canine family among them are recognized “sniffers”. So the wolf uses its nose very actively and constantly: both when hunting and when collecting information about its brethren. It is difficult for us to imagine how much a dog or a wolf learns about this surrounding world with the help of its nose. They not only distinguish a huge number of odors, but also remember them for a very long time.

Once I saw how a tame wolf, after a long separation, remembered a man. By appearance the beast did not recognize him. The voice probably vaguely reminded him of something - the wolf became wary for a short time, but then began to walk around the cage again. The nose “said” everything at once. Barely a faint gust of air from open door brought a familiar smell, as the previously indifferent wolf was transformed: he rushed to the very bars, whined, jumped for joy... So the memory of the smell for the wolf is the most reliable and strong.

The wolf not only remembers, but also, as one says old hunter, thinks through his nose. Indeed, when hunting, he always takes the wind into account. The entire hunting tactics of the flock depends on the direction of the wind. The ambushers, that is, the wolves that come closest to the prey, always walk so that the wind blows toward them from the direction of the prey. This is an advantageous position - both because this way the prey does not smell the wolf, and because wolves learn a lot about the prey by its smell. Using it, you can choose the “best” victim and then, without getting confused, pursue it.

When do wolves growl or squeak?

Wolves can hear much more better than man, and what seems like an indistinct rustle to us is a clear sound signal for the wolf. Hearing helps to avoid danger, communicate and search for prey. Wolves make many different sounds - they growl, snort, squeak, whine, squeal, bark and howl in different ways.
The purpose of these signals is different. For example, by growling, a wolf communicates its intention to attack or, conversely, to actively defend itself. Snorting warns relatives of danger. Most often this is a signal from adults addressed to children. Hearing him, the wolf cubs hide in cover or hide.

Wolf cubs whine almost immediately after birth, if they are not comfortable - hungry or cold - this is their first acoustic signal. Adults can also whine when they feel bad.
Mostly weak, low-ranking wolves squeal when they are threatened or when they are attacked by stronger relatives. The squeal “disarms”, softens the attacker, calms him down. And expressing friendliness, wolves squeak.

They emit all these signals while being quite close to each other - at a distance from several centimeters to tens of meters. However, wolves also have sound signals"long-distance communication" is barking and howling.

Why do wolves bark and howl?

Wolves bark at a large predator (tiger, bear) or at a person when danger threatens them. But only if the danger is not yet too serious. So barking is a warning signal. Wolves bark much less often than domestic dogs, but howl often.
We can say that the howl is a kind of “sound face” of the entire genus Canis, and especially the wolf. You can usually find out that wolves live somewhere just by howling. It can be solitary - when the voice of one wolf is not answered by the others, and group - when several animals howl, it doesn’t matter whether they are close or far from each other. The pereyarks howl together, finding themselves far from their parents and newcomers, or all family members.
And, of course, wolves howl in different ways.

Seasoned - very low and long, a single note sounds for at least 20 seconds. This smooth, thick, powerful voice has a very strong effect on a person. The she-wolf howls shorter (10-12 seconds). Her voice is thinner than that of an adult male. Pereyarks howl, whine and bark. Their notes are the same in duration as those of a she-wolf, or even shorter. Young (new) wolf cubs bark, squeal and howl.
During autumn family "singing sessions" the wolf cubs stick together. Their choir is like a cacophony.
The family choir, in which everyone participates - both the seasoned and the old, and the newcomers - is one of the most impressive “concerts” in our forests. After all, wolves howl, as a rule, at dawn or at night. Their voices float into the darkening sky and awaken something in a person beyond the control of reason. Sometimes goosebumps run down your back, not from fear, but from some inexplicable sensation.

Wolves howl very loudly, so that a person can distinguish this sound from 2.5, or even 4 km. Wolves hear each other from an even greater distance - this also depends on the weather. As if familiar with the theory of information transmission, they almost never howl if hearing conditions are poor. They even wait out the sound of a flying plane, a running train or a strong wind.

Until now, the true meaning of howling in the life of a flock is not fully understood. It is clear that neighboring families notify each other of their presence and thus avoid unwanted encounters. It is also clear that sometimes the parents howl to inform the puppies that they are approaching a day with prey, and the kids about where they are. But the most important thing is that it is the howl that creates the overall harmonious mood in the flock. In this way, the role of howling is similar to the role of music for people. Maybe that's why it affects us so strongly. But the howl, revealing the presence of wolves who respond to the wabu (imitation of howl) of hunters, turned out to be their “Achilles heel” in the confrontation with humans.

What paths do wolves go?

Many people believe that wolves are vagabonds and wanderers. This is only partly true: they do not go anywhere at all, but strictly obey a certain order and in well known places.
The wolf pack has its own, as scientists say, habitat. And the wolves know him like the back of their hand. They are excellent at navigating the terrain and remember all their previous routes, which is why they walk along constant and most convenient paths.

A.N. Kudaktin, who has been studying wolves in the Caucasus for many years, performed this experiment several times: he climbed up the slope to the same place in different ways, including the wolf path. And it always turned out that walking along it was easiest and fastest.
Walking through a flat snow-covered swamp, where, it would seem, there are no signs, the wolves seem to be following an old trail that has long been covered with snow. However, they know not only the area very well.

They are aware of everything that happens around them: they know where the bear lives and where he lies in a den, where moose or wild boars graze. Wolves notice the slightest changes in familiar places. American zoologist R. Peters, who studies the tactics of movement of wolves around the site, believes that they have mental map of his habitat.

What is a buffer zone?

In wolves, like many other animals, the outskirts of the habitats of neighboring packs sometimes overlap each other. Then buffer zones are formed in these places. Here you can meet wolves - neighbors, and since relations between packs are most often very hostile, these are the most dangerous places on the site.
Therefore, when entering buffer zones and intensely marking them, wolves still try not to stay for long and, if there is enough prey for both packs, they do not hunt there. We can say that the buffer zone is a kind of reserve for deer and other ungulates, created by the wolves themselves.

When there is little prey in the main territory, wolves of neighboring packs begin to hunt here too. Having met in these places, they, as a rule, fight fiercely, and some of the animals die.

The fewer wolves remain, the fewer ungulates they destroy, the number of deer is gradually restored, and the predator-prey system comes into balance again.

Does this sound familiar to you? Every evening it's the same. The dog starts barking. With the same rhythm, night after night. Woof-woof. Pause. Woof-woof. Pause. Woof-woof. Minute after minute, sometimes hour after hour, the rhythm and breaks between barks are always the same. It feels like your neighbor's dog has gone crazy.

But we know very well that dogs are very smart creatures. Why do they sometimes bark so unreasonably? And anyway, how did they come to use barking to try to communicate something, like that a thief is trying to break in through your window?

Scientists studying how animals communicate with each other have found many examples of voices conveying meaning. For example, take the sounds made by prairie dogs. They bark, warning their fellows about the approach of a stranger and even about his appearance.

When dogs became domesticated, they essentially became yapping, overgrown puppies.

But prairie dogs are not real dogs, they are rodents, members of the squirrel family, so their behavior tells us nothing about why dogs bark. To find out why dogs have the habit of barking senselessly, you need to focus your attention on wolves - their closest wild relatives (the fox is the second closest relative). Scientists have found that adult wolves rarely bark, and if they do bark, their bark is abrupt and short. But wolf puppies bark quite a lot.

If the ancestor of the modern dog were wolves, why then do dogs bark so much and often for no apparent reason? Many researchers believe that the answer lies in how dogs began to live alongside people.

Scientists say that dogs are wolves, the ancestors modern dogs, settled around human settlements because food could always be found here. Over time, they crossed with each other, producing increasingly tame offspring - dogs that people could already bring into their homes and use for their needs.

Scientists who conducted experiments on wild foxes for 20 years eventually managed to breed more tame foxes that were peaceful towards humans. However, some foxes experienced strange side effects. One of them had floppy ears, like dogs. The sounds produced by the other one were very reminiscent of the barking of a domestic dog.

We all know that young animals, from wolf cubs to lion cubs, are more tame and friendly than their adult relatives. Therefore, in the process of breeding and domestication, animals must be left as puppies, and not allowed to grow up. This is exactly what happened to the foxes. And this, according to scientists, happened in ancient times with wolf dogs. When dogs became domesticated, they essentially became yapping, overgrown puppies. What does a puppy do, even if he is a wolf cub? Barks.

So dogs can bark for absolutely no reason - with puppy spontaneity, so to speak, for prevention. One cocker spaniel barked 907 times in 10 minutes. So when a dog drives you crazy with his barking, think: “He’s just a kid.” Blame it on evolution. And try this: “Oh, well, you’re finally growing up!”

Since ancient times people have revered and feared Wolf, they called him the elder brother, they scared children with him, they made up legends and retellings about him. The genus of wolves itself is quite extensive, including coyotes and jackals, but it is wolves became the direct and closest ancestors of the domestic dog.

Wolf- enough large predator from a family of mammals that used to be found almost everywhere in Russia and the CIS. But due to a number of problems caused by technological progress, the habitat of these animals has narrowed significantly in recent decades.

The name itself " wolf"comes from the ancient Slavic language, has ancient Indo-European roots and literally means " drag" or "drag."

It turns out that the Wolf family is quite extensive - there are about 32 different subspecies of wolves, but only six main ones are found on the territory of Russia - tundra, Central Russian forest, Mongolian, Caucasian, Siberian and steppe.

What do wolves eat

Basic Wolf's diet are ungulates depending on their habitat. It could be reindeer, horses, roe deer, pigs, moose, goats, both wild and domesticated.

In desert regions, Wolves hunt antelope and sheep. Due to the expansion human activity and the introduction of man into natural environment In the habitat of wolves, predator attacks on livestock farms occur.

But wolf population constantly decreasing due to lack of food and constant hunting for them. During difficult periods, Wolves can feed on frogs, lizards and even large insects. They sometimes eat berries, mushrooms and fruits, and to quench their thirst they can plunder a watermelon or melon planting.

Where does the Wolf live?

Wolves prefer wooded areas and choose flat or mountainous areas with sparse vegetation and a temperate climate for housing.

Pack of Wolves usually occupies an area of ​​30 to 60 km and prefers a sedentary way of existence. But in the spring-summer period, this area is divided into fragments in accordance with the hierarchy of the pack: the best goes to the strongest Wolves.

Wolves can also be found in the north in the taiga and tundra near human settlements.

Wolves are smart and they understand that where there is a person, you can always profit from something. And although they do harm agriculture, but, on the other hand, they also regulate the balance of the ecosystem, controlling the number of animals and acting as forest orderlies.

Are Wolves Dangerous to Humans?

Scientists have come to the conclusion that the Wolf will not attack a person just like that, since he has an instinct of self-preservation. But sometimes there are sad cases of attacks by animals suffering from rabies. Or if there is a severe shortage of food.

Wolves breeding

Mating season for wolves lasts from January to April. Wolves are monogamous and lead family image life, the couple stays together until one of the partners dies.

Before the onset of estrus, the she-wolf does not accept the sexual advances of the male. Brutal fights for the attention of females, often with fatal, are absolutely normal among Wolves.

She-wolves reach sexual maturity in the second year of life, and Wolves - at 3 years.

Wolves have only 1 estrus per year, so that the cubs are born in the warm spring, when there is enough food around.

Wolf couple First, he takes care of a safe shelter for future offspring. These can be either various secluded places, or other people’s burrows of badgers or arctic foxes; they rarely dig their own burrows.

Only the She-Wolf uses the lair; she is also involved in raising small wolf cubs, which at first resemble the puppies of an ordinary dog. Usually, the She-Wolf gives birth to from 3 to 13 wolf cubs, and the whole pack helps to feed them.

But despite close care from parents and other Wolves, in the first year of life only 20-40% of wolf cubs survive. This is due to disease, lack of food and competition within the family, when stronger puppies receive more food, and weaker ones gradually die.

Wolves have a rather interesting voice, which has much greater capabilities than other animals. Wolves don't just howl They are also believed to be able to grumble, whine, squeal, yelp, bark and growl. Moreover, they are fully aware of these sounds and understand the information voiced by their fellow tribesmen. This helps to find out where prey is hiding, where to go hunting, and even report the appearance of people. A collective wolf howl is distinctive feature active social life.

By the way, The wolves can hear fellow tribesman and transmit messages from a distance of about 8 kilometers.

The Wolf has a very highly developed sense of smell, he distinguishes odors 100 times better than a person, so scent plays one of the main roles in the wolf family.

Wolves are strong and hardy animals that can cover a distance of up to 80 km, and if necessary develop speed 60 km/h, which is one of the important conditions for survival.

In nature Wolves survive up to 15 years, but already at 10-12 years old they show signs of old age.

The wolf also symbolizes devotion and loyalty in the family; it is associated with many heroes folk tales and epics of the ancient cultures of the peoples of the North, where he personifies strength and courage. But sometimes he is perceived as an evil and negative character who is greedy and greedy, and sometimes serves dark forces.

Think about some of the interesting daily behaviors your dog may have: They may howl, dig holes, and sniff out odors and tree bark. All these actions constitute behavior transmitted at the genetic level from their ancestors - wolves. We think you will not argue with us on this matter. In fact, some of these traits, of course, are definitely generic, but it turns out that not all of them can be classified as such.

Wolves don't bark

Since dogs are direct descendants of wolves, it is clear that many of the innate behaviors of our four-legged friends come from their ancestors. However, it is interesting that barking cannot be classified as such. In fact, a mature wolf in the wild does not bark like our pets. This behavior is limited to cubs and juveniles.

The reason for the lack of barking is that in the wild, wolves know that if they are in real danger, it is best to behave as quietly as possible, without making their presence known until the threat has passed.

Dog's reaction to direct threat

On the other hand, our canine companions prefer to deal with threats in the opposite direction - barking at them until they go away. But if wolves are the ancestors of dogs, why are their ability to bark reduced to zero?

Some researchers believe that dogs acquired this behavior pattern because of their close relationship with humans. Humans are very musical, and our puppies quickly learn to hear, understand and respond in the same way. But we are not so good at deciphering their nonverbal signals.

To make sure their owners understand that they are trying to communicate, our dogs default to certain verbal cues. However, there are other researchers who believe that a dog's barking is due to years of selective breeding. We prefer dogs that are gentle and friendly and have developed these characteristics in our pets over the years. And, you guessed it, barking is just a side effect of these relatively recently acquired skills.

Conclusion

If you ask what barking is, we will answer that it is simply one of the many attractive behaviors without which we cannot imagine a four-legged creature.

Whether our dogs bark to communicate with us or simply because they look more like a young wolf than a mature wolf, we perceive this behavior as a natural reaction of our four-legged friend to certain stimuli.