Post by sidian on Feb 11, 2007 19:11:03 GMT -5
In regards to the realistic expectations for wolf behavior in the Viridian pack, it has been voiced that I should give some 'guidelines'. Being such a wolf nut as I am, it's difficult to have any concept of where to start.
The best suggestion I can give, and the very best place to begin is to learn about wolves by reading up. Here are some good places to start:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf
www.lioncrusher.com/animal.asp?animal=35
Here's some basic body language stuff:
www.timberwolfinformation.org/kidsonly/posture/postures.htm#tail
Here are some basics about body language:
Tail up - dominance. Tail tucked - submission. Tail wagging - happy.
An alpha wolf will hold his or her tail almost straight up, moreso if asserting dominance. If a wolf is relaxed, the tail will usually just hang casually or just be lifted up slightly from the legs.
Ear position has a lot to do with mood as well, but is a little more difficult to explain. Ears pushed forward can signify aggression and dominance. Ears splayed out to the sides means fear or distress. Ears back (but not pinned all the way), usually accompanied by a wagging tail, means happiness.
Submissive behavior, such as is displayed when an alpha or a dominant pack member arrives, or when a wolf is being punished, chastised, or simply knows he's done something wrong, or if it's the omega, consists of:
Tail-tucking, ear-splaying, back arched and muzzle pointed upward, groveling low to the ground, muzzle-licking (usually the bottom or corners of the muzzle, and usually pretty rapid and excited licking), rolling over, baring throat/belly, whimpering, squatting to pee (Only alphas in a wolf pack lift their leg to urinate, both male and female).
Dominant behavior, such as displayed when a higher-ranking wolf asserts himself over a lower-ranking packmember or an outsider, may consist of:
Erect tail, hackles raised, ears pricked forward, stiff-legged posture, "riding up" on the shoulders of the submissive wolf (hopping up to throw his forelegs over the shoulders of the submissive wolf), staring down.
An angry wolf has erect ears and its lips pull back to show its insicors. Snarling and back-arching often accompany this.
A playful wolf will bow, potentially slap the ground with its forepaws, tail in the air and/or wagging. They may frolic and dance around, nipping and pushing potential playmates with their hips/shoulders.
More behavior info can be found on those websites posted above
Pack basics:
A healthy pack consists of a male and female alpha, one (potentially two) betas, and an omega, as well as basic members.
In the Viridian pack we refer to the alphas as "Ones".
The Beta is referred to as "Second".
The Omega is called the "Whiner" or "Last". In Viridian, as of today, we have a unique situation in which we have two omegas, thanks to their being caught committing a crime together. It is expected that through further interaction, they'll sort themselves out and we'll end up with only one Omega.
Alphas: It's pretty obvious what the role of the alphas is, but I'll summarize a bit.
The alphas lead the pack in every possible way, mostly the female. They choose where to bed down, when and where to hunt, when to lead the pack on territorial runs, where do den, when to move the den, etc.
Alphas do the majority of scent marking around the territory borders, lifting their leg to do so. For a non-alpha to lift their leg to pee is borderline challenge, and the alpha will likely assert his dominance over the offender.
Typically, only the alpha pair will breed and produce offspring. They are virtually inseparable during the breeding season, and will frequently run off together to "take care of business" throughout the duration of the female's heat. The female will physically prevent other females from breeding, violently if necessary. Fights are known to break out at this time because other males want the privilege of mating with the alpha female.
Pups are born in late winter/early spring, and the mother stays in the den with them for the first few weeks of their life. Food is delivered to her by her mate and the rest of the pack during this period, until the pups eyes are open and they're old enough to climb out of the den and explore. At this point, the alpha female will rejoin in the hunts and a babysitter, often the omega or beta, will stay with the pups.
Typically there are two seperate heirarchies within one pack: Male and female. It is not uncommon for them to overlap, however, and if necessary, either alpha will assert their dominance over a lesser pack member of either gender.
Betas: The beta is essentially the second-in-command. They often assume a prominent role in the upbringing of the pups. They are the most likely to challenge for alpha position. (I need to look more into the beta role, will most more later if I can find it)
Omega: The omega is an integral role in a wolf pack. This is the court-jester and the whipping boy rolled into one. Their purpose is to defer tension and aggression for the entire pack. Their lives are typically spent in submission (if they're a good omega). A rebellious omega is more likely to get his ass kicked more often to be put in his place.
Members: The various members of a pack can hold different ranks amongst themselves. Each one may be above or below eachother, while as a whole being below the alphas/beta and above the omega. These ranks may shift frequently, and are certainly not set in stone.
Displays of dominance and submission are common when wolves greet eachother after even short absences. An alpha may greet a packmember with tail up and ears erect, while an omega will greet a packmember with tail tucked and back arched.
Wolves are extremely social, and may greet eachother with squeaks and whines and much tail-wagging, particularly after a long absence. Wolves will quite often gather to rally, howling for the sheer joy of howling, which often degenerates into yipping and squeaking and all manner of silly wolfy noises. This behavior is very common when rallying up prior to a hunt.
Wolves typically do not bark in the same sense as a dog. The closest they usually come to it is a sound of alarm. It sounds like a short, subdued "buff" or "bff". It's used when they're startled by something.
Howling is used for asserting territorial boundaries, locating or communicating with far-off pack members, warning away outsiders, and any number of other meanings, including just for the fun of it...singing, if you will.
---
Okay I didn't expect to write that much...but hey! It is a start. I will probably add more as I think of it.
Frighteningly enough, this really is just basics. Simple stuff you're likely to run into while playing a wolf.
We're really not THAT big of hardasses and are happy to help and teach if someone isn't sure about something. We won't just toss you out on your ear without warning if you mess up, we'll likely just correct you and potentially discuss it with you. We mostly want to avoid UNwolflike behavior. "Human in wolf's clothing" sort of things.
If anyone has any questions, I'm happy to chat. ^.^
The best suggestion I can give, and the very best place to begin is to learn about wolves by reading up. Here are some good places to start:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf
www.lioncrusher.com/animal.asp?animal=35
Here's some basic body language stuff:
www.timberwolfinformation.org/kidsonly/posture/postures.htm#tail
Here are some basics about body language:
Tail up - dominance. Tail tucked - submission. Tail wagging - happy.
An alpha wolf will hold his or her tail almost straight up, moreso if asserting dominance. If a wolf is relaxed, the tail will usually just hang casually or just be lifted up slightly from the legs.
Ear position has a lot to do with mood as well, but is a little more difficult to explain. Ears pushed forward can signify aggression and dominance. Ears splayed out to the sides means fear or distress. Ears back (but not pinned all the way), usually accompanied by a wagging tail, means happiness.
Submissive behavior, such as is displayed when an alpha or a dominant pack member arrives, or when a wolf is being punished, chastised, or simply knows he's done something wrong, or if it's the omega, consists of:
Tail-tucking, ear-splaying, back arched and muzzle pointed upward, groveling low to the ground, muzzle-licking (usually the bottom or corners of the muzzle, and usually pretty rapid and excited licking), rolling over, baring throat/belly, whimpering, squatting to pee (Only alphas in a wolf pack lift their leg to urinate, both male and female).
Dominant behavior, such as displayed when a higher-ranking wolf asserts himself over a lower-ranking packmember or an outsider, may consist of:
Erect tail, hackles raised, ears pricked forward, stiff-legged posture, "riding up" on the shoulders of the submissive wolf (hopping up to throw his forelegs over the shoulders of the submissive wolf), staring down.
An angry wolf has erect ears and its lips pull back to show its insicors. Snarling and back-arching often accompany this.
A playful wolf will bow, potentially slap the ground with its forepaws, tail in the air and/or wagging. They may frolic and dance around, nipping and pushing potential playmates with their hips/shoulders.
More behavior info can be found on those websites posted above
Pack basics:
A healthy pack consists of a male and female alpha, one (potentially two) betas, and an omega, as well as basic members.
In the Viridian pack we refer to the alphas as "Ones".
The Beta is referred to as "Second".
The Omega is called the "Whiner" or "Last". In Viridian, as of today, we have a unique situation in which we have two omegas, thanks to their being caught committing a crime together. It is expected that through further interaction, they'll sort themselves out and we'll end up with only one Omega.
Alphas: It's pretty obvious what the role of the alphas is, but I'll summarize a bit.
The alphas lead the pack in every possible way, mostly the female. They choose where to bed down, when and where to hunt, when to lead the pack on territorial runs, where do den, when to move the den, etc.
Alphas do the majority of scent marking around the territory borders, lifting their leg to do so. For a non-alpha to lift their leg to pee is borderline challenge, and the alpha will likely assert his dominance over the offender.
Typically, only the alpha pair will breed and produce offspring. They are virtually inseparable during the breeding season, and will frequently run off together to "take care of business" throughout the duration of the female's heat. The female will physically prevent other females from breeding, violently if necessary. Fights are known to break out at this time because other males want the privilege of mating with the alpha female.
Pups are born in late winter/early spring, and the mother stays in the den with them for the first few weeks of their life. Food is delivered to her by her mate and the rest of the pack during this period, until the pups eyes are open and they're old enough to climb out of the den and explore. At this point, the alpha female will rejoin in the hunts and a babysitter, often the omega or beta, will stay with the pups.
Typically there are two seperate heirarchies within one pack: Male and female. It is not uncommon for them to overlap, however, and if necessary, either alpha will assert their dominance over a lesser pack member of either gender.
Betas: The beta is essentially the second-in-command. They often assume a prominent role in the upbringing of the pups. They are the most likely to challenge for alpha position. (I need to look more into the beta role, will most more later if I can find it)
Omega: The omega is an integral role in a wolf pack. This is the court-jester and the whipping boy rolled into one. Their purpose is to defer tension and aggression for the entire pack. Their lives are typically spent in submission (if they're a good omega). A rebellious omega is more likely to get his ass kicked more often to be put in his place.
Members: The various members of a pack can hold different ranks amongst themselves. Each one may be above or below eachother, while as a whole being below the alphas/beta and above the omega. These ranks may shift frequently, and are certainly not set in stone.
Displays of dominance and submission are common when wolves greet eachother after even short absences. An alpha may greet a packmember with tail up and ears erect, while an omega will greet a packmember with tail tucked and back arched.
Wolves are extremely social, and may greet eachother with squeaks and whines and much tail-wagging, particularly after a long absence. Wolves will quite often gather to rally, howling for the sheer joy of howling, which often degenerates into yipping and squeaking and all manner of silly wolfy noises. This behavior is very common when rallying up prior to a hunt.
Wolves typically do not bark in the same sense as a dog. The closest they usually come to it is a sound of alarm. It sounds like a short, subdued "buff" or "bff". It's used when they're startled by something.
Howling is used for asserting territorial boundaries, locating or communicating with far-off pack members, warning away outsiders, and any number of other meanings, including just for the fun of it...singing, if you will.
---
Okay I didn't expect to write that much...but hey! It is a start. I will probably add more as I think of it.
Frighteningly enough, this really is just basics. Simple stuff you're likely to run into while playing a wolf. We're really not THAT big of hardasses and are happy to help and teach if someone isn't sure about something. We won't just toss you out on your ear without warning if you mess up, we'll likely just correct you and potentially discuss it with you. We mostly want to avoid UNwolflike behavior. "Human in wolf's clothing" sort of things.
If anyone has any questions, I'm happy to chat. ^.^
