Predator Module 2

Wolf Family Partnerships

Most of us think of wolves as packs, and do not realize that the relations within a group of wolves depend on how the group was formed. Some packs are nuclear families, others disrupted families. Many of the early studies of wolves were of orphaned litters in captivity. The dominance hierarchies that were described among siblings raised without parents were quite different than the relations observed within nuclear families, where parents helped raise pups who remained in the group. Within sibling groups, competition for mates can be quite intense. However, when parents are present, conflict is much less apparent because offspring and parents maintain a social distance shaped by care-soliciting and care-giving behaviors.

Learning Objectives:

• Distinguish between observation and inference in identifying testable hypotheses about body language and social structure in captive wolves..
• Measure "social distance" to test hypotheses about how body language is related to social structure.
• Evaluate the evidence to decide how body language is correlated with social structure in captive wolf families.

Background:

Recently, scientists are examining in more depth the hypothesis that the "family life" of wolves varies depending on the social and physical environment. Obviously, the biggest physical difference in watching captive wolves is that they are in an enclosure and not free to disperse. The social differences between captive and wild wolves are mostly in terms of the type of family. Scientists report different social relations in families that are orphaned siblings, intact nuclear families (parents and offspring), compared to foster families (one or more adults or pups have been introduced, not born into the family). For more orientation here are some recommended sources (TIP: also explore background link onthe left menu bar):

• …How wolves live in families
• overview: Wolves - from the Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior
• more....Wolf Behavior: reproductive, social and intelligent IN: Wolves:  Behavior, Ecology and Conservation.

Activities:

Jump right in and learn by doing! If you are familiar with spreadsheets, you may choose to download the entire curriculum and use the Excel Workbook. Recommended video clips are available in the podcast. If you would prefer a printed copy, try downloading Module 2 in pdf format. If this guided inquiry is not intuitive, we recommend reading the teacher's manual for some handy tips.

• Entire Wolf Inquiry Activity [microsoft excel workbook]
• Module 2 Video [podcast ]
• Print format of Module 2 [printable pdf]
• Teacher's Manual available from j-packard@tamu.edu

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