Grey wolf

A wolf pack is primarily a family group, consisting of an adult pair and their offspring. Life together involves travelling, finding food and raising the young. Adults initiate the group’s movements and play an important role in hunting. In the wild, a pack is not simply a collection of unrelated wolves constantly fighting for rank.

Cooperation enables wolves to hunt animals larger than themselves, including deer and elk. They also take smaller prey and occasionally eat fruit. Wolves are the largest members of the dog family. Their name does not mean their coats are uniformly grey: depending on the population, colours may include brown, black and even white.

Howling helps maintain contact over a distance and locate other members of the group. Scent marks provide information about occupied territory. At close range, body language matters: the positions of the tail, ears, head and entire body. These signals help regulate relationships between animals. Quiet observation can reveal more than simply waiting for a loud howl. Even a small change in posture is part of the wolf’s system of communication.