Post by ~Kora&Tiko~ on Dec 24, 2005 14:33:41 GMT -5
A little about wolves now. Wolves travel in groups, eat in groups, hunt in groups, sleep in groups - they do just about everything together. These groups are known as 'packs'. A wolf pack is usually made up by wolves related to each other in some way. It consists of an alpha male, an alpha female - the two leaders, usually mates - a beta male (rarley is there a beta female) - second in command to the alphas, sometimes mates with the alpha female - biders - the mid ranking ones, usually dominanted by one single bider- young ones - just about always the alpha's pups, though wolves have been known to care for other pups - and finally the omega, the wolf that lives on the leftovers of the pack, the puppysitter, the one who is often dominated by all other pack members.
The alpha wolves have a look of
confidence, with tail and ears held high
to show ranking. Though commonly
thought, the alpha isn't always
the largest animal of the pack.
Alphas are normally the pair to
breed becuase they have "proven"
to be the strongest in the pack
by upholding their postions
The beta wolf is the second
highest wolf in the
pack, besides the alphas.
The beta is normally a male,
because of how dominant the alpha
female is. The beta is the peace
keeper of the pack and normally,
if an alpha is killed or dies,
will take over. Beta wolves are
favored amongst the alpha's. Some
bioligsts think that has something
to do with thier high rank.
Biders are all the pack members in
between the beta and the omega. In
a large pack they're can be up to 6
biders or more. Biders have they're own
ranking from top to bottom. Biders
have their own dominance seperated
between males and females. Biders
make up most of the pack. Amongst
the biders are Elders, Adults, and
juveniles.
The Omega is basically the scapegoat of
the pack, it is a rank not sought but
endured. Omegas are last to eat, and
normally tension that other pack members
are feeling will take out on the omega.
In a wolf pack there is only one omega,
it can be either male or female. And
any pack members (no matter what gender)
can dominate the omega. But the omega can
also instigate play and watches the pack's
pups while the pack is away hunting.
The alpha male and female are the ones who lead the pack during hunts, mark territory, and so forth. When the pack travels along and marks it's territroy, only the alpha male and female can raise they're leg (much in the fashion of male dogs) the other pack members must squawt.It is a strong belife that the alpha male is the head of the wolf pack. Despite this though, the alpha female is the one who actually matters more. She decides where the territory will be, she is the only one allowed to have pups, and much more. The alpha female is genraly more dominate than the alpha male. When breeding season arrives she will often chase the other females out of the pack and they arin't permitted to return until after the season has passed
The beta male has no real job, but they are important to the pack in other ways. Matsi, the late beta male of the Nez Perce Wolf Pack in Idaho, had a great personality. He was the peace keeper of the pack. He would defend the omega Lakota under many circumstances, when Lakota was being dominated by the other wolves. When the pack was breaking up due to fighting, he would get them back together. Who knows, maybe this is what beta males do in the wild.
The biders are adult wolves, the average wolves. They aren't incredibly high ranking, but they aren't bossed around by the alphas and betas as much as the omega. The young ones are always under two years old, with no real position in the pack. They are waiting to either move up in rank, or to move out and start their own pack. Finally, the omega. He's usually picked on, and is the one that usually stays home with the pups. Still, he's part of the pack
Now, a list of some of the major species and sub species of wolves. Just helps a little with your literateness.
Canis lupus arctos (Melville Island Wolf, Arctic wolf)
Only lives on the arctic islands from Melville Island to Ellesmere Island. Can weigh up to 175 lb., fur is usually white or off-white. They mature the latest, at 3 years. Breeding season is in April-May. 2-3 cubs are born beige. They eat arctic hares, musk ox, lemmings, voles, and caribou, with rodents comprising a large part of their diet.
Canis lupus baileyi (Mexican Wolf)
Smallest North American wolf, weighing from 60-90 lb. It occupies the most southern territory. It lives in the Sierra Madre and the surrounding region of western Mexico. It is generally dark and grizzly colored. They have the largest mane of any wolf. It once roamed the areas of Arizona and New Mexico. Mexican wolves will eat deer, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, rabbits, wild pigs known as javelina, and rodents. In 1960, the last known wild Mexican wolf was shot. The Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan set out in the early 1990's to create a self-sustaining Mexican wolf population in their former range.
Canis lupus beothucus (Newfoundland Wolf)
Extinct. This was almost pure white and of medium size.
Canis lupus bernardi (Banks Island Tundra Wolf)
Banks Island in the Northwest Territories. It is a large and rangy looking animal. Its color was mostly white with black-tipped hairs along the mid of the back.
Canis lupus columbianus (British Columbian Wolf)
British Columbia, Canada. It is among the largest of the wolves. This animal can weigh as much as 140 pounds. This wolf's color is generally either gray or black, the blacks being the largest of the two.
Canis lupus crassodon (Vancouver Island Wolf)
Medium size and is grayish-black in color.
Canis lupus fuscus (Cascade Mountains Wolf)
Once known as the "brown wolf" because of its cinnamon or buffy color. It is a medium sized animal, weighing about 80 to 90 pounds. It is not known if any of these animals still survive.
Canis lupus hudsonicus (Hudson Bay Wolf, Tundra wolf)
A light-colored wolf of medium size having a winter coat that is nearly white. It is often called a "tundra wolf." It lives in the area west and north of the Hudson Bay. It migrates south with the caribou herd.
Canis lupus griseoalbus (Manitoba Wolf)
Supposedly to roams in central Manitoba and northern Saskatchewan. It has never been validated that this wolf exists. Debate continues as to validity of this animal being a subspecies.
Canis lupus irremotus (Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf) Medium to large light-colored animal. The original range of this animal included the northern Rocky Mountains including southern Alberta, Canada. In the United States it is considered extinct.
Canis lupus labradorius (Labrador Wolf)
Varies in color from dark gray to almost white. It is a medium size wolf that occurs throughout northern Quebec and Labrador.
Canis lupus ligoni (Alexander Archipelago Wolf)
Smaller than most wolves in North America. It has short hair and is dark in color. A black phase is common. A black phase is gray colored fur underneath black fur.
Canis lupus lycaon (Eastern timber wolf)
The most famous - most pictures on in internet are of this species. Its original range covered the eastern United States, including Florida and west to Minnesota. Variety of coloration.
Canis lupus mackenzii (Mackenzie Tundra Wolf)
Medium sized wolf, color ranges from black to white. It lives along the arctic coast in the Northwest Territories eastward from the Mackenzie River and south to Great Bear Lake.
Canis lupus manningi (Baffin Island Tundra Wolf)
Smallest of the arctic wolves. It occurs on Baffin Island.
Canis lupus mogollonensis (Mogollon Mountain Wolf)
Extinct. Used to live in central Arizona and New Mexico. The coloration was usually dark with some white.
Canis lupus monstrabilis (Texas Gray Wolf)
Extinct. Used to live in Texas and northeastern Mexico. Its members were usually small and dark colored. There were some whites.
Canis lupus nubilus (Great Plains Wolf, Buffalo Wolf)
Once occurred from southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada, to northern Texas. This was a medium sized animal with great variability in color. It was thought to be extinct by 1926, but studies indicate that the wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Upper Michigan are Canis lupus nubilus.
Canis lupus occidentalis (Mackenzie Valley Wolf)
Lives in the upper Mackenzie River Valley southward into Alberta. It represented some largest wolves in North America. The color of these animals varies from black to almost pure white.
Canis lupus orion (Greenland Wolf)
No evidence exists that this is a distinct species. Many scientists believe these animals are part of the subspecies: Canis lupus arctos. Possibly extinct.
Canis lupus pambasileus (Interior Alaskan Wolf)
Among the largest in North America. These wolves roam throughout the interior of Alaska, except the tundra region of the arctic coast.
Canis lupus tundrarum (Alaska Tundra Wolf)
A large wolf with long light colored fur. It ranges along the tundra region of Alaska's arctic coast.
Canis lupus youngi (Southern Rocky Mountain Wolf)
Extinct. This wolf used to live in the Rocky Mountain region of Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. It was a medium size animal having light-colored fur.
Canis lupus (Rainforest(Rain) Wolf) Endangered!
Found only in the Great Bear Rainforest of British columbia, this is a less-known sub-species. It is slightly smaller than the other BC wolves, and a cinnamon color. It is also much different than many other wolves - a good lot of it's diet depends on clams and other seafood; it also has the ability to swim miles out to sea.
Active Submission - approaching a dominant wolf and licking or nipping their muzzle, ears back, and tail between flanks.
Alpha Female - The female at the top of the pack hierarchy.
Alpha Male - The male at the top of the pack hierarchy.
Beta Male - The male ranked just below the alphas in herarchy.
Cache - the spot near a den where the pack buries meat for a female wolf with pups to eat.
Carnivores: Animals that eat meat.
Color Phases - The varying colors of pelage found within a wolf pack.
Courtship - The wolf version of flirting.
Den - An enclousure where wolf pups are born and where they live their first month.
Digitigrade - Walking on the toes instead of the whole heel, like humans do.
Dominance Hierarchy - The social structure of a wolf pack.
Dominant - Holding a superior position over the other wolves of the pack; higher ranking.
Gaurd Hairs - The long outer hairs of a wolf's coat.
Litters - Groups of pups born to a female wolf at one time. Most litters are made up of three to six pups.
Pack - a group of animals that live together, sharing the work of hunting and raising pups.
Passive submission - where a lower ranking wolf lies on the ground and displays his/her stomach to the higher ranking wolves, showing inferiority or fear.
Pelage - the hairy covering of a wolf's body.
Predators - animals that hunt and eat meat.
Regurtitate - Throwing up partially digested food for younger wolves to eat.
Rendezvous Site - The spot in a pack's territory where young pups are left when not old enough to go hunting with the rest of the pack.
Scent Marking - Using urine or other strong smelling substances to mark a wolf/s territory.
Scent Post - a lifted object(stump, rock) where a wolf leaves a scent mark.
Territories - the areas which a wolf 'own', hunting and raising pups in, marked by their scent markings.
There, now you know much more about wolves - I hope, anyway. Try to keep all this stuff in mind while roleplaying a wolf - hard as it is to believe, it can be alot of fun to roleplay very realistically. But, if you feel you must have that evil charecter(we all do sometimes) why not roleplay lupes, instead? They can be as evil as you like, multi-colored, with powers - and it does much less to the wolf's reputation. But, if you want to be even more helpful than just helping the wolf - you need to get up. Go to google, look for petitions you may sign - be careful to read them though, there are an equal amount of petitions to kill the wolf from hunters and such. There are also fliers you can put up around your neighbourhood, ban hunting on your land if you live in a large, foresty area, do school projects on the wolf, and so on - everybody can help.
As courting season(mating season) approaches, an unusual tension is in the pack, for only one lucky couple is permitted to have puppies. The alpha female in particular will become very aggressive - she often chases other females away from the pack, to ensure she gets the breeding rights. And, often, it isn't even the alpha male who fathers her pups, and instead another pack member will - but often, it is the alpha male. But as courting season comes to an end, the torn and angry pack is brought together once more, eagerly awaiting the puppies they love. The female wolf gives birth to 5-6 pups, though each litter can have as little as 2 and as many as 10 newborn cubs in it. Like dog puppies, the pups are helpless at birth, and weigh only about one pound. At this stage of life, they don't do much rather than eat and sleep, making high pitched whines to their mother when they are hungry or cold. At this age, it's sometimes easy to tell who will be the next alphas or betas - they usually are the most aggresive, shoving all others aside to get to the warm milk. The mother rarely leaves the den, only to eat or drink. At around two weeks old, their eyes open, although their sight will not be totally great until they're much older. At the end of the two weeks, they begin to grow teeth. Now the cute little puppies weigh about three pounds, and can walk on all four legs. Still, they haven't left the den. At three weeks, they can finally hear. At a month old, they are finally able to meet the rest of the pack. Happily, the mother encourages her children out of the den, where the rest of the pack are joyfully waiting. Usually the pack members are overjoyed to see the new members and sniff or lick each one, as if in a welcoming way. After three years of sleeping, playing, eating and hunting, the pups are now mature - some will leave the pack, and others will stay.
Wolves are carnivores. They are built as seemingly killing-machine-like hunters, with long, slender legs and deep chests, allowing them to run long-distance chases; they are deeply intelligent - but one of the most important qualities are their acute hearing and sensitive sense of smell, allowing them to pinpoint exactly where their prey is, even if it's over a mile-and-a-half away. Nevertheless, it's not always deer or elk they eat. Wolves will as willingly eat muskrats, rats, rabbits, and hares as larger prey, such as caribou, elk, deer and moose - and they will often eat berries and sometimes nibble grass. It usually depends on the season, for example, in summer, wolves tend to eat smaller animals, while in winter, the wolves like to eat bigger prey - this is because they can run much better on snow than wolves can. Usually the pack hunts together - especially when after large prey, I cannot stress this enough, a single wolf cannot take down an adult moose! - but some wolves perfer to hunt alone and organize themselves better that way. For example, elderly wolves would have worn teeth, and would not be nearly as useful in pack hunts.
The typical hunt for a deer scenario. The pack works together when attacking large prey - the better they work together, the higher their chances of going to sleep with full bellies. After finding a herd - often by smell, but other times they find the herds by luck- the wolves pick out all the sick, young, wounded or vulnerable animals that will be the easiest to catch, surround it, and attack it. However cruel this may seem, it keeps the herd healthy - it stops them from overpopulating, elderly and wounded deer would only slow the herd down, and it allows them to have more food per animal. The prey is not killed immidiatly - the pack attempts to slow it down by biting it's feet, back, and so forth, and when it at last slows, they kill it. The deer will do anything to escape - sometimes going into deep water. This does not always work - in fact, wolves have been seen eating the floating carcass of a moose! But usually it does work - the wolves loose coordination, and the moose are good swimmers.
Directly after they will eat, usually on the spot- eating most of the animal there. Interestingly enough, when there is lots of prey, the wolves will eat only the best and most nourishing part of the deer, getting the most amount of energy in the smallest time, while if there is only a little bit of prey, they will eat all they can. Sometimes it is left behind - in summer, when food is plentiful, they leave some for the other carivores, but in winter, when there is less food, the pack stays near the kill to protect it. All members of the pack can eat, but it's in a strict order - the alphas first, and the omega last. After they finish eating, they sometimes drag the remainders to a cache - a hole where they bury the meat for later - or, if there are pups, they regurgurate(throw half-digested, soft meat up) for the pups to eat. Wolves sometimes eat things totally different too - fish. They have the ability to fish in shallow water, but often they will simply eat the remainders a bear leaves behind. But more oftenly, wolves will feed from carcasses or remainders - this usually counts for about 20% of their diet.
Wolves never kill more than is nessecary - in fact, only one in ten hunting attempts are sucessful. A scientist once recorded that in 100 attacks on adult wolves by moose, only 6 were killed, 58 escaped, and 36 succesfully fought the wolves off - but the good thing is, wolves can go for weeks without eating. But when they do eat, they can eat as much as 25 pounds. But after they finally fill their bellies, the wolves will sleep, for several hours, to regain strength once more.
