"Alpha no longer top dog?"
So we all have heard the term alpha wolf right? We'll it
turns out that in the wild, that might not be the proper term any longer according to L. David Mech, the
authority on all things wolf.
Studies that have been going on since the mid 80s on free
ranging wolf packs have shown that wolves in the wild are actually families,
with a pair of breeding wolves(The "Alphas"), pups, yearlings and
sometimes 2 year olds and lone wolves picked up, and that the reason we see the
infighting is due to the fact that in captivity, random animals put together
will always establish a pecking order, and have to fight for dominance.
This is really a big discovery, and apparently has been
around for almost 15 years, but most still don't acknowledge it, however L.
David Mech states:
"However, it has
been said that it generally takes about 20 years for new science to fully seep
down to general acceptance, including even new medical breakthroughs. Such seems
to be proving true with the alpha-wolf concept. Several of my wolf biologist
colleagues have accepted the update, but others suddenly correct themselves in
the middle of their conversations with me; still others seem totally oblivious
to the whole issue."
-"Whatever happened to the term Alpha?" L.David Mech Winter 2008 www.wolf.org
I have tried to get answers, as to whether or not the
roles are still used just not in a fight for dominance way. Example would be
whether or not there is still a wolf performing omega duties, etc. I have contacted a lot of the big conservation societies in the wolf arena, however only one has gotten back to me about why they still have way outdated information on their websites and articles. I believe they are the ones who should be at the front of the charge to be correct with their data. I want to make sure people can know that when they read about the wolf, they are getting the correct information.
Now in conclusion, I will say that this doesn't change a ton
in terms of what we know about the wolf in general, however, socially it is. So
please contact the wolf community, and spread the word.
Here are two articles, you can read yourself.
Links-
Thanks for reading!
Robert Elder III
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