Prepare to have your mind blown: wolf packs don’t actually have alpha males and females. Despite attempts by researchers to clarify this misconception, it continues to persist thanks to pop culture and money-hungry publishers.
In reality, most wild wolf packs consist of the two parents and their offspring, including older pups that haven’t left the natal pack yet. The adult wolves are in charge simply because they are the parents, not because they fought to be the leader. The term “alpha” is outdated and misleading. The wolves that lead packs are usually just the ones who have bred and had pups. In packs with multiple breeding wolves, terms like “dominant daughter” or “subordinate breeder” are used.
“Just because wolf packs are a familial unit doesn’t mean there isn’t fierce competition between individuals from time to time,” explained the Voyageurs Wolf Project. “While packs can be harmonious, there is also competition for resources, leading to wolves dispersing or leaving their packs.”
The idea of alpha males originated from research on captive wolves, which behave differently due to their confined spaces and unrelated individuals. In 1947, animal behaviorist Rudolf Schenkel observed captive wolves and noted that the highest-ranked male and female formed a pair, but he also mentioned that wild wolf packs consisted of parents and their pups. Unfortunately, this information was overlooked, and Schenkel’s work gave rise to the term “alpha wolf.”
Before Schenkel, Norwegian zoologist Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe wrote about a pecking order in chickens in the 1920s. This idea became popular but referred to the most dominant hen, not an alpha male.
More research was conducted on wolves in the 1960s and 1970s, mostly on captive wolves. Dr. L. David Mech, a renowned wolf researcher, published a book in 1970 that popularized the alpha concept. However, Mech later admitted that the information in the book was outdated, including the idea of an alpha male dominant wolf.
In 1999, Mech published more research, clarifying that the alpha pair were simply the parents of the pack. While younger wolves were submissive to the parents, dominance fights were rare.
Once bonded, wolf pairs are highly monogamous and usually don’t change partners unless one of them dies. The male and female dominate the pack because they are the parents, not because they fought for alpha status.
So, there you have it. To be the leader of the pack, there’s no need for a dominance fight. Simply find a mate and start your own pack. The concept of the “alpha male” is a persistent misunderstanding.
