What a wild interaction.
When it comes to intelligence, wolves are high on the list of animals in North America. These massive wild dogs live like very few and depend on each other to survive. Wolves are one of very few predators that work together in groups and hunt down prey, ensuring the success and survival of their whole pack.
These pack dynamics come with rules though, like any functioning unit there has to be leaders. The alpha male and female are the strongest and wisest breeding pair and lead the pack to their next meal while keeping everyone in line along the way. The idea of alpha males and females present a little differently in the wild than it does for wolves in captivity. In the wild, packs are most commonly made up of immediate family (although sometimes unrelated wolves can join) and mom and dad are the pack leaders. Whereas in captivity, wolves are generally not related and a true “alpha” wolf must be established by force.
But even on their own, wolves are still massive creatures capable of reaching over 175 pounds in weight. They are apex predators, meaning they have nothing that preys on them and they have their way with just about anything they want to eat. But they still decide to live in pack dynamics, as many hands, or paws in this case, make for light work.
But what happens when an outsider comes around?
This video shows an outsider get put in their place very quick. A trail camera set up to watch a wolf pack captured a lone wolf wandering into the area of a known pack. The pack catches wind, and led by the dominant female, come to check out the new wolf.
The outsider female wolf understands her role and submits to them showing no aggression. But the female alpha of the pack still has to put her in her place and absolutely pushes the poor wolf around for a bit just to make sure she knows.
“This is some interesting footage about pack dynamics. There was a single wolf who showed up in the One-eyed wolf pack territory. I think it is a female. The dominant, one-eyed female really went after the single wolf. She ran the wolf off and did not kill it. It is interesting to watch. Violent Content, be advised.”
And that’s nature folks… pretty cool, eh?
