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 wolf genus itself is quite extensive, including coyotes and jackals, but it is wolves became the direct and closest ancestors of the domestic dog.

Wolf is a fairly large predator from the mammal family, which 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. These 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 of human activity and the introduction of humans into the natural 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 a family lifestyle; a 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 consequences, 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 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.

Wolves. Their habits and lifestyle

3rd grade student

Sukhodolsk Secondary School No. 1

PGT Sukhodol, Sergievsky district

Ubasov N.A.

2. Habits, lifestyle

Afterword

1. Wolves. Description of appearance

Throughout human history, wolves and people have always lived side by side. These predators have always posed a danger to humans. They attacked livestock and sometimes humans. Therefore, people have always sought to destroy these predators by all means and means. Wolves were poisoned, killed with guns, caught in traps and nooses, etc. IN last years Planes and helicopters, snowmobiles, etc. began to be used against wolves. Despite all these measures, wolves continue to live. True, in many countries Western Europe There are no wolves for a long time, but there are few conditions for their life there. Wolves are very flexible and live in a wide variety of climatic conditions. They live in the taiga and tundra, in the steppes and deserts, in cities and swamps.

There is a known case when a pair of wolves lived in the center of Moscow for almost two years. Of course, they ended up there due to human fault, but, having been thrown out onto the street as puppies, they were able to adapt to life in the city. They caught rats and later stray dogs and cats. People did not even suspect that these dangerous predators lived next to them.

Wolves are adapted to hunting large ungulates, but they feed not only on the meat of these animals. They catch mice and rats, hares and squirrels, frogs and lizards. During the years of peak numbers of mouse-like rodents, wolves largely feed on them, which brings certain benefits to forestry. Scientists, studying the life of these predators, have long come to the conclusion that wolves devour, first of all, sick and weak animals. Wolves have historically been regulators of the numbers of many game animals. There can be no talk of complete elimination of the wolf in our country.

People often ask: is a wolf dangerous for humans? During the Great Patriotic War When the persecution of wolves almost completely ceased, their numbers increased greatly. The wolves began to lack food. Hunger and lack of fear of humans contributed to wolf attacks on humans, mainly children. In the Kirov, Kostroma and Volgograd regions, more than two dozen cases of children dying from wolves were officially registered. Of course, only individual individuals specialized in this fishery. After the end of the Great Patriotic War, when the persecution of wolves began again, cases of wolf attacks on humans became very rare.

It should be noted that the wolf, of which man has always felt fear, was surrounded by the halo of a fairy-tale character, where the wolf always played the role of the bearer of evil. And this is not only in fairy tales. You can often hear creepy stories about attacks by packs of wolves on people. In fact, when checked, all these rumors are not confirmed by anything.

And yet the wolf poses a danger to humans. Animals with rabies are especially dangerous because they lose their fear of humans. First of all, those animals that hunt dogs and enter populated areas must be destroyed.

The wolf is the largest representative of the canine family. No one knows for sure when the ancestors of our domestic dog divided into two groups: the domestic dog and the gray wolf. It is believed that this happened about 4`000`000 years ago. Probably, primitive man accompanied by a certain wolf-like animal, which devoured the remains of its prey. Over time, this creature sacrificed its freedom for the sake of food, which benefited not only him, who later turned into a dog. The dog learned to help man on the hunt, guarded the herds of animals he had domesticated, and sometimes even protected man from wild animals, thus becoming necessary and useful for him. The wolf and the dog are very close to each other, which follows at least from the fact that they often interbreed and produce offspring.

Most adult gray wolves weigh between 34 and 56 kilograms. There is reliable data that they can reach 79 kilograms. Males are usually larger and heavier than females by about 25%. Wolves appear larger due to their long fur. In winter, it reaches 5-6.3 centimeters on the back and sides, and from 10 to 12.7 centimeters on the shoulder blades, but due to contraction of the erector muscle, the hair stands on end, and the wolf appears even larger. The length of their body is 1.8-2.3 meters, with the tail accounting for a quarter of the length of the animal. In 1969, a wolf skin measuring 2.27 meters from nose to tail was hung in Aniak, Alaska. The height of the wolf can be 68-78 centimeters. Compared to dogs of the same size, wolves are much narrower in the chest. In proportion to total weight A wolf's legs are also longer than those of dogs. Due to the fact that the wolf's chest is narrower than that of a dog, its footprint between the right and left paws is also much narrower than that of dogs.

Leg structure and speed

All canine animals are digitigrade, that is, they walk using only their toes. The wolf touches the ground with its heels only when it descends and lies on the ground. The wolf's front legs are extremely large, which is of great importance: due to this, the load is distributed more evenly, and the wolf does not fall into the loose snow. The wolf has five toes on each front paw, although only four are active. The claws are strong and dull due to constant contact with the ground. The wolf also uses them when digging the ground. Wolves walk, jog, and skip or gallop. Their walking speed is about 6.4 kilometers per hour. They usually jog when different speeds, as a rule, 12.8-16 kilometers per hour. For a long time, wolves can run almost without stopping. They are known to cover a distance of 96 kilometers in one night. The speed of the wolves during measurements reached 64 kilometers per hour. They ran like this for several miles.

Appearance.

Once a year, wolves change their skins. The long winter coat stays in clumps until late spring. Young fur immediately grows back, and a new winter coat is gradually formed. Although most wolves are gray, as reflected in their name, their color can vary from yellow color mixed with gray and black to grey, pure white to pitch black, although arctic wolves usually white. Wolves are highly intelligent creatures, as evidenced by erect ears, an attentive gaze, a pointed, elongated muzzle and some other signs. Their head shape resembles that of the German Shepherd, which shepherds use to guard sheep, although the wolf's skull is wider and more massive. The wolf's muzzle is also framed by a ring of long hair that looks like sideburns. Long and very fluffy tail The wolf is an important anatomical feature of this animal. When going to bed at night, the wolf curls up into a ball and covers his nose and legs with his tail, which are exactly in the center of the circle. Thanks to this position of the tail, the warm air exhaled from the lungs warms the paws and nose well. Cold air also warms up upon entering, and thus the wolf breathes warm air. The long whiskers on the wolf's muzzle serve as olfactory organs. The cleft palate contains forty-two teeth: 12 incisors, 4 canines, 16 molars, 10 false molars and molars. The wolf's fangs, 2.54 centimeters high, are long, strong, sharp and slightly curved, with which the wolf captures prey. The wolf does not chew food, but uses its false-rooted teeth to cut off pieces of meat that it can swallow at one time.

Smell plays a very important role in the life of a wolf. He himself has several special glands. The odors produced by these glands are as specifically individual as our fingerprints. The wolf's sense of smell is very highly developed. It can detect prey at a distance of up to 3 kilometers. Wolves usually wander for a long time, but when they smell prey, they immediately head towards it. Like all predators, wolves occupy certain territory, which is marked with urine, feces and deep scratches on the ground. They mark not only the borders, but also the paths along which they walk. Their marks are located at a distance of about 90 meters from each other. Wolves have very keen vision, and they quickly notice the slightest movement in front of them. Since wolves are primarily predators, their eyes are located on the front of their heads. The field of vision is probably just under 180 degrees, unlike their victims, who have a field of view of over 300 degrees.

The variety and frequency range of wolves' vocal means significantly exceeds the capabilities of the vast majority of animals (except humans and bats). Wolves make sounds such as howls, howls, whimpers, grunts, growls, yelps, and barks. Each sound has a huge number of variations.

The wolves' reaction to these sounds is conscious. With the help of their voice, wolves can convey very complex messages - about the presence of a certain animal in a certain place.

The signal for an attack among wolves is a battle cry given by the leader of the pack. This sound is similar to the growl of an angry dog ​​rushing at a person.

Wolves howl at dawn or dusk, but not every day. The howl begins with a solo howl of the leader, which differs significantly from the howl of other members of the pack. They join a little later. The choral howl usually ends in a yapping, shrill bark.

2. Habits and lifestyle of wolves

Life in a pack and howling are the most characteristics wolf They distinguish it from many other mammals and give uniqueness to its biological appearance. A pack is a family group consisting of animals of different ages sharing a territory. Typically, a flock consists of parents, newborns (this year's brood) and youngsters (animals that have not reached sexual maturity). But very often it also includes several adult animals, apparently not taking part in reproduction. The size of the flock varies widely. Its average size is 5-11 animals, but there are also very large flocks - from 15 to 22 individuals. Wolves stay in the most compact groups in winter, and in more dispersed groups in summer. The pack is falling apart late spring, when the adult male and female separate from her to breed and raise the pups. But the remaining members of the flock in spring and summer do not leave the family territory and remain without forming large clusters. Zoologists associate the main advantage of the pack lifestyle of wolves with hunting large ungulates. The size of a family territory depends greatly on the landscape and varies within very wide limits. The largest family plots are in open landscapes of tundra, steppe or semi-desert, where they reach 1000 - 1250 km. In the forest zone they are smaller - 200 - 250 km. Most zoologists believe that wolves are monogamous, that is, one male forms a mating pair with the same female for many years. However, it is difficult to say that this is exactly the case, because a flock usually contains several mature males and females.

The wolf is an animal with highly developed intelligence and a powerful psyche. It is thanks to this that the beast survives so successfully despite all the variety of sophisticated ways to fight it. In all countries where the task was set to destroy wolves completely, the plans were failed, but wolves live well and multiply to this day. Their numbers are close to zero only in the most densely populated countries having a small territory. However, this is the choice of the wolves themselves, who prefer more comfortable conditions for themselves.

Instinct
or reason?

Long
time, wolf habits were determined solely from the point of view of natural instinct
and conditioned reflexes. The ability of the beast to analyze the environment was completely denied
situation, drawing useful conclusions that
is a sign of reasonable behavior. But further close observations of scientists
the wolves convinced them otherwise. Many examples have been recorded where it is impossible
it was possible to explain the behavior of wolves only from the point of view of the unconscious
instinct or conditioned reflexes. For example, it has been proven that wolves can accurately determine
safe distance (based on lighting) from the hunter. Wolf, knowing that
the shot will not reach him, sometimes he can stand calmly even seeing perfectly
man with a gun. Although this, of course, is only possible with the most seasoned,
old, “shot” wolves.

Nowadays
many scientists agreed that wolves have the ability not only to analyze
situation and draw certain conclusions from this, but even predict
events based on circumstances. Especially clearly mental activity
wolves manifest themselves in the midst of the collective hunt of these predators for different types animals. Wolves divide
territory into areas to search for prey, and then signal each other about the results
search. If the victim is discovered by one wolf, he calls the others, the pack
skillfully surrounds future prey and intelligently drives it towards those lurking in
ambush of brothers. Moreover, an ambush is usually organized not just anywhere, but in
the most convenient place for an attack - on ice, in loose snow, to make it more convenient
It was possible to take the beast without much resistance. Such an organization, such a fast
and the correct distribution of roles, such coherence of work could
the envy of many hunters.

Hunter for
note

Wolves
there are three main forms of reaction to the conditions with which they have to
encounter during the hunt for them. Knowing these features, the hunter will be able
predict the wolf's actions or at least explain them, making the task easier for yourself
by his prey. One form of reaction includes cases when a wolf
a sharp defensive reflex arises to an unfamiliar stimulus that is destructive
for him: a trap, a bait with poison, an armed hunter. This means that you
a wolf who was once caught in a trap, ate poisoned bait and survived,
wounded from a car or helicopter, a reaction to deadly attacks is immediately formed
items.

Wolves on
all their lives they remember the smell of a trap or poisoned bait, the sight of a hunter’s gun,
the noise of a car or helicopter, associating it in the mind with an acute painful stimulus. Such
the reaction is formed the first time, otherwise the wolf would have no chance of saving his life
was. That is why the individuals who escaped the trap, survived after poisoning or not
very accurate shot, become extremely cautious and practically inaccessible
for the hunter. It is very difficult to obtain such an animal, although it is very honorable. Such
experienced wolves easily bypass traps, never take bait and hide in
forest so masterfully that they can be detected neither from the ground nor from a helicopter
will be impossible.

Second
a form of exclusively wolfish reaction is a loss of caution towards the subject, if
there is no acute painful stimulus. This is especially clear if you observe
wolf during the hunt with flags. An animal seeing flags for the first time (a new unknown stimulus), at first
is afraid of them and can sit in prison for a week without making any attempts to overcome this
an easy obstacle. But over time, seeing that the flags don't hurt and
do not perform any actions at all, the wolf’s indicative reaction fades away.
Then the animal decides to overcome the obstacle. In the future, the same wolf, if
stays alive, freely leaves the salary right through the flags, so take
it can be much more difficult.

Third
form of wolf reaction - the emergence of a persistent visual connection to the stimulus,
through whose fault other members of their pack die. That is, even if the wolf became only
witness how his brother fell into a trap or how one of the flock was
wounded or poisoned by bait, the “witness” wolf will also be wary of these irritants.
This reaction was confirmed by experiments conducted on dogs. As a result, it is precisely established
the fact of the development of conditioned reflexes in one dog next to another - the victim.

In some
in a sense, the wolf’s brain is even more perfect than a dog’s, since wolves are capable of not only secreting
individual dangerous external stimuli, but also to compare them with each other, to synthesize
and direct your activities based on this. In this regard, it becomes
the high ecological adaptability of the wolf, its caution and
stability, despite so many means and techniques to combat it. These are unique
features developed in wolves due to centuries of persecution and
destruction by man. At all times, any error in reaction or perception
the wolf led the beast to inevitable death. Therefore, the key to successful
control over the number of wolves and its regulation - in the application of the most
active ways that exclude the possibility of repeated acquaintance with them, and in
their improvement.

Features of behavior

Volch'e
behavior is extremely complex. These gray predators are so secretive and
careful way of life, that even near populated areas his lair is sometimes
impossible to calculate. Wolves are highly observant, thanks to
for example, they find carrion by the cry of crows and magpies. This beast is for sure
determines the style of his behavior depending on the changing situation.
For example, during manhunt wolves can hide in the forest so much that the beater
will pass by without noticing them. Then hunters can wait for hours for a wolf
rooms, and he will watch them from the thicket.

Hunger -
the only thing that can completely deprive a wolf of caution, literally “reduce him to
mind." Wolves are especially dangerous in autumn and winter. It is at this time that the predator often wanders
close to the herds still grazing in the fields, attacking large and small livestock.
True, a lone wolf will not attack a herd of adult horses or a herd
pigs, for example. But a pack of wolves is already a real threat. At the beginning of winter, wolves
families are moving closer and closer to villages and cities. They start with the easiest prey -
yard dogs. The victims then become livestock and rarely people.

Hunter
It is important to understand that the wolf is a worthy opponent, not an easy trophy. To
To get it, you will have to make an effort and show ingenuity. But even
then there is a great deal of pure luck when the wolf just for some reason
will lose vigilance. Knowing the behavior patterns of wolves is as important as
ways to hunt them. But, having received the coveted trophy in the form of a seasoned predator,
the hunter will be able to consider himself a true professional, a master of his craft.

Wolves are one of the most common predators on our planet. They live in the cold, and in the steppes, and in the mountains, in the territories of Asia, Europe and North America. For many centuries, people have coexisted with wolves - they are afraid, fight, tame, make up legends and fairy tales, try to exterminate, try to study and understand... The wolf at various periods of our history was both a patron totem and a demonic creature and minion dark forces. He was sung as a symbol of freedom and fidelity, and extreme cruelty and deceit were attributed to him.

So what is he, this legendary predator?

1. One of the main character traits of a wolf is neophobia, i.e. fear of everything new and unusual. And at the same time, curiosity is very clearly expressed, the desire to find out whether something new poses a threat to the flock. At the peak of this psychological conflict wolves live.

2. There is a very clear hierarchy in the wolf pack, everyone in the family has their own role. Wolf cubs are born to only one pair - a seasoned leader wolf and his she-wolf. For other she-wolves in the pack, heat may often not occur. But born wolf cubs are loved, protected and raised by all members of the pack.

3. Wolves have very developed mutual assistance and care for their family. A wolf can rush to the defense of its relatives, even if it knows that it cannot win the fight. Young members of the pack bring meat to the old leader or puppies. The leader will protect his mate until his last breath, but may refuse to fight for the puppies - for the survival of the pack, and the entire species, it is more important to preserve adults capable of giving birth to new wolf cubs.

4. The wolf is able to consciously regulate its digestion. If the she-wolf needs to feed her puppies, she swallows the meat and regurgitates it near the den. In literally half an hour in the stomach, meat can reach a semi-digested state. But there are situations when you need to feed an adult member of the pack - an old man, a wounded relative, or a she-wolf with small cubs. Then the wolf is able to carry the meat in itself for several hours and regurgitate it absolutely fresh, in a shell of bactericidal mucus.

5. Wolves make a lot of reserves and caches, especially when the main she-wolf of the pack is preparing for motherhood. And then they are forgotten about. It turns out that wolves make provisions not for themselves, but for future puppies. It is not always possible to obtain fresh meat, but wolf cubs should not starve. And if there are many secret storage areas on the family territory, then the kids have a much better chance of feeding themselves and surviving.

6. Young wolves remain under the care of their mother and the pack for up to three years, all this time learning the wisdom of hunting and survival in the forest. In the first year of life, up to half of the wolf cubs die. About 30% survive to 3-4 years.

7. Stories that the strongest and most ferocious wolf becomes the leader are erroneous. The pack can drive out an evil bully, especially if he harms someone who is younger. And the other pack won't accept him either. This is how natural selection works - no one needs excessive aggression.

8. Wolves are extremely intelligent animals and one of the best hunters. They are able to count, calculate the trajectory of the prey, study its habits and habits, choose tactics and distribute roles in the future hunt. They can hide, wait, and pursue the chosen target for several days. They can remember the smell of the enemy, and can take revenge several years later.

9. The wolf's body is ideally suited for hunting, but he is not a natural hunter. If a wolf cub is not trained and then released into the world, he will never be able to hunt. Each pack does it in its own way, this is their culture, their traditions. There are flocks that hunt only wild boar or only roe deer. They have their own techniques that are passed down from generation to generation. A wolf cub can catch and strangle a bunny in a game, but he will not eat it - he simply will not know that it is food.

10. Young wolf cubs spend a lot of time playing with each other. And in these games the hierarchy is determined, hunting skills are laid, and attack and defense techniques are practiced. Adult wolves do not participate in games. Their daily routine is hunting and sleeping.

Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

Federal Agency for Education

State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education "Altai State University"

Faculty of Psychology and Philosophy

Department of Social Psychology

Features of wolf behavior

Abstract on the subject:

Animal psychology and comparative psychology

Performed:

student gr. 1881

correspondence department of the FPF

Shmakova Olga Sergeevna

Checked:

Associate Professor of the Department of Social

psychology

Mikheeva Irina Viktorovna

Barnaul - 2008

Introduction

Social form of behavior

Food (food-procuring) form of behavior

Sexual behavior

Parental behavior

Game behavior

Defensive behavior

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

WOLF (Canis lupus), the most major representative wolf family. Body length 100-140, tail 30-50 cm, height up to 90 cm, weight from 30 to 75 kg. The head is elongated, with an elongated muzzle. The teeth are sharp, predatory with large fangs. The ears are erect and pointed. Wolves have a very acute sense of smell, detecting scent at a distance of 1.5 km. The limbs are high, digitigrade, the front are five-fingered, the back are four-fingered. The claws are not retractable, blunt, slightly curved. The body in the sacral area is slightly lower than in the shoulder blade area. The fur is predominantly gray, thicker in winter than in summer. The male is larger than the female. Wolf subspecies differ in size and shades of fur. The largest and lightest are polar wolves. The wolf is active at night and feeds on any animals living in its range. IN winter time The diet is based on ungulates, in summer - smaller vertebrates, reptiles, egg laying, insects and berries. A hungry wolf is capable of eating up to 10 kg of meat, but the usual daily norm 2-6 kg. In times of hunger, it does not disdain carrion; cases of cannibalism are known.

Wolf subspecies:

Austro-Hungarian wolf,

Asian wolf,

Alexander's wolf,

Alaskan wolf,

Alaskan coastal wolf,

Arabian wolf,

Baffin tundra wolf,

Benkovsky island tundra wolf,

British Columbian wolf,

buffalo wolf,

Vancouver Island Wolf,

Rocky Mountain Wolf,

Eastern Timber Wolf,

Southern mountain wolf

Greenland wolf,

Hudson wolf,

Egyptian wolf,

Iberian wolf,

Spanish wolf,

Italian wolf,

Cascade Mountain Wolf,

Kenai wolf,

Labrador wolf,

Mackensian plains wolf,

Mackensian tundra wolf,

Manitoba wolf,

Mexican wolf,

Melville Island Wolf,

Mogollon Mountain Wolf,

Newfoundland wolf,

Common wolf

Caspian wolf,

Russian wolf,

Gray common wolf,

Steppenwolf,

Texas wolf

Tibetan wolf,

Tundra wolf,

Hondos Japanese wolf,

Japanese wolf,

New Guinea singing dog,

Domestic dog

L.V. Krushinsky considers it possible to identify the following most common biological forms of behavior in animals:

defensive;

parental;

behavior of offspring towards parents

Scott (1962) considers the behavior of newborns to be special in nature, associated with the excitement of maternal activity: a call for help; screams when hungry, etc. L.M. Baskin (1976) identifies the following types of activity:

defensive;

social;

maternal;

comfortable

Social form of behavior

Wolves live in packs - small, well-organized and socially stable groups consisting of individuals, usually genetically related to each other. Depending on the circumstances (for example, if the survival of the pack depends on hunting large prey such as elk), a pack of wolves can number up to 20-30 individuals. However, there are usually 4-7 wolves in a pack. As a rule, a pack consists of a pair of leader wolves, several adult animals subordinate to them, young wolves under the age of 2 years, and cubs. The size of the flock depends not only on the amount of food available, but also on human activities, for example, hunting, and also because only the leaders (the so-called “alpha” animals) generally reproduce. If there is a lot of food, young wolves leave the pack and form their own. The main advantage of living in a pack is the protection of pack members from large predators such as bears. The next advantage is the ability to hunt in its own territory, large enough to be a constant source of food. In such territory it is possible to hunt in groups that have specific tasks, which makes it possible to hunt very large animals.

The presence of relationships based on dominance and subordination of wolves in a pack is a clear and decisive sign of its social structure. It is generally accepted that the hierarchical structure of females and males is linear, i.e. An "alpha" animal is dominant over all others, a "beta" animal is dominant over everyone except an "alpha" animal, etc. However, in reality everything turns out to be much more complicated. Experience from observing packs of wolves shows that hierarchical relationships can vary greatly depending on the situation. A simple model of relationships, for example, in chickens, is quite primitive compared to complex system subordination in a wolf pack. In general, it is easy to predict which main types of pack members are likely to dominate others, as this tends to be directly related to weight, sex and age. Therefore, large or adult animals and males dominate smaller animals, females and babies.

Establishment and maintenance of hierarchical relationships in animals within complex social structures is, in essence, the best way avoid competition in the fight for food, mate and best places recreation. As a result of stable relationships between members of the pack, the need for frequent fights disappears. These relationships determine who gets the best food and the like. The establishment of relationships of the “superiority-subordination” type is facilitated by fights between individuals of the same size and strength. Subsequently, these relationships will be maintained through social behavior including a large number of signals and poses that, without duels and the usual aggressive behavior for such situations, show which of the two wolves occupies a higher position.

In wolves, such signs of dominance include body position and gestures, for example, an upright stance with a high head, raised ears and a horizontally straightened tail. Having adopted this position, the wolf, remaining motionless, looks straight into the eyes of his opponent. A stronger animal may place its head or front paws on the back of a weaker animal, thereby showing its higher status. When displaying threatening signals, a dominant wolf may bare its teeth and raise the hair on the back of its neck. Signals and postures of submission are, to some extent, the direct opposite of signals of dominance. The wolf stands hunched over, ears flattened, head and tail down, eyes averted to the side. A wolf of lower rank can butt or lick the nose of a beast of higher rank. This picture can often be observed when a stronger animal returns. These so-called active signals and gestures of submission differ from the passive ones shown by an animal of a lower rank in situations where it is threatened by an animal of a higher rank. In such cases, the weaker wolf turns over either on his back or lies on his side, pressing his ears and tucking his tail.

The wide distribution of the system of superiority-subordination relations among highly developed animals (including humans) indicates the effectiveness of this social form of community organization. It contributes to the preservation and development of close ties, strengthening cooperation and peaceful relations between members social groups, consisting of independent individuals, each of whom has at the genetic level the desire to survive and leave behind healthy offspring. Cohesion and cooperation among members of wolf packs is evident during hunting, guarding territory, caring for cubs and, ultimately, in almost all activities of wolves. Stereotyped wolf behavior such as territorial scent marking, group howling, nose rubbing as a greeting, and mutual sniffing of the genital area are also thought to promote a sense of unity among members of the pack.

As a rule, more strong animals take the initiative and control of the flock when performing the most important species activities. The pattern of superiority and submission is also observed in the relationship between two individuals. A wolf of a higher rank, compared to a weaker one, reacts less to the social initiatives of other wolves. When communicating with each other, as well as when expressing different moods great importance have a language of poses and facial expressions.

Territorial form of behavior

The survival of a pack depends on the size of its hunting grounds, so wolves protect them tooth and nail. Wolves mark the boundaries of the territory (it can be 50-1500 sq. km, depending on what animals the pack hunts) with odorous marks - they spray stumps and large stones with urine - and notify neighbors about their rights by howling. Family groups of wolves living in the same territory are closely related; the areas of neighboring families may overlap, but they never collide. If there is an abundance of food, then many generations of wolves live in one area.

The size of a family territory depends greatly on the landscape and varies within very wide limits. The largest family plots are in open landscapes of tundra, steppe or semi-desert, where they reach 1000 - 1250 km2. In the forest zone they are smaller - 200 - 250 km2.