Wolf packs: How they work

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed that the state's first pack of wolves is now established in the Methow Valley.

But what is a pack of wolves?

Technically speaking, a pack includes a dominant male and female called alphas, their year-old offspring, and this year's pups, according to the Wolf Working Group, which developed a recovery plan for wolves in Washington.

It can also include lone wolves that have joined from other packs.

This group hunts together, feeds together, travels together and rests together.

The pack, as much as anything, is the character trait that makes them endearing to people, said Jasmine Minbashian, special projects coordinator for the wildlife advocacy group Conservation Northwest.

"Wolves are so social. The parents are not only responsible for raising the pups, but often the aunts and uncles take care of them," Minbashian said.

Pack sizes average six to nine animals, but can be double that, or more, the draft plan states.

The following behavioral aspects of a pack were also described in the draft plan:

◆ Usually only the alpha male and alpha female breed.
◆ Their pups are born in late April and moved from an underground den to a rendezvous site after about two months.
◆ After the mother stops nursing her pups, all members of the pack help feed the pups until fall, when they are old enough to join in the hunting.
◆ Once wolves reach sexual maturity at about 2 years old, they usually leave the pack to look for a mate and form a new pack.
◆ They may also become lone wolves for a period, or may join a different pack.

— K.C. Mehaffey, World staff