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Description
I appreciate all comments on this piece, however, due to the fact that everyone has different opinions about wolves, animals which are unfortunately a very controversial topic, I will not be reading any of the comments you leave me.

The alpha pair of a pack get ready to run...

#2 of my three illustrations for a job thingy application thing. (I'ze tired.)

I'm too tired right now to barf out a bunch of facts on wolves, so I'll just barf a few facts about alpha wolves, the dominant mating pair of a wolf pack.

(Don't read if you're too opinionated to learn something new about wolves, because I don't want to argue with people over a ridiculous subject like this. Only read if you're curious and want to potentially learn something new from what I've learned from my book learning. All information can be found in real, actual books written by people other than me who are world renowned experts on the subject of wolf biology, who have spent their lives studying these creatures both in the wild and in captivity. I just happen to obsessively stalk them in the hopes that I myself might learn and now I write this in the hopes that other people might learn something from my painstaking book learning, because the internet in general is painfully uneducated about wolves and that annoys me.)

Facts About Alphas

- Contrary to popular belief, the alpha FEMALE is the most dominant wolf in a pack, NOT the male. Humans just think this because our society is generally run by patriarchies - aka, MEN. Wolves are matriarchal and this is seen by how the alpha female is the wolf who decides what a pack hunts, teaches them how to hunt it and generally leads the pack, not her mate. Just because the alpha male has a penis doesn't make him boss.*
- Alpha wolves tend to have a deeper sounding howl than the rest of the pack members, distinguishing them from the subordinates when in chorus. (And yes, wolves harmonize.)
- Visually, alphas have brighter, bolder colouring with higher contrast in markings than subordinate members. This is because they're entitled to the best meat of the kill, which not only makes their fur extra pretty, it gives them a stronger smell than the other members of their family, which aids in scent marking the borders of their territory.
- Alphas are NOT the biggest, toughest members of the pack, but they ARE the smartest. The title of brawniest goes to the betas, who are pretty much the warriors and protectors of the pack. Betas are like bodyguards.
- While the alpha male and female court, they also have subordinate wolves, usually the elders vying for their attention, hoping to become the 'nanny' an extremely important and devoted wolf whose role it is to guard the pups and who will not leave them until dismissed by an alpha.
- Towards mating season and throughout it, the alpha female suppresses the other females in the pack to keep them from entering their heats. This is how it is that only she has pups, because only she comes into estrus.
- The alpha pair mates for life, but if one dies, the remaining alpha will usually choose a new mate.

* All information can be found in Spirit of the Wolf by Shaun Ellis and Monty Sloan. Artwork was referenced from many of the photos in this book. I recommend it to anyone who loves wolves, and especially to those would like to learn about how these animals actually live, contrary to popular culture. (Which gets them wrong pretty much every time!)

VERY unimpressed by the casting of wolves as bad guys YET AGAIN in Dreamworks SKG' Kung Fu Panda 2. Can't people find an animal species to use as antagonists that can actually live with being demonized a little, like bunnies, which are overpopulated nuisances in Australia? Leave off the poor predators! They don't deserve it! Gah! (Was also highly unimpressed by Tai Lung being cast as a snow leopard, a heavily endangered species in the first movie, though props for Tigress.)

(c)Rosanna P. Brost. All Rights Reserved.

Description
I appreciate all comments on this piece, however, due to the fact that everyone has different opinions about wolves, animals which are unfortunately a very controversial topic, I will not be reading any of the comments you leave me.

The alpha pair of a pack get ready to run...

#2 of my three illustrations for a job thingy application thing. (I'ze tired.)

I'm too tired right now to barf out a bunch of facts on wolves, so I'll just barf a few facts about alpha wolves, the dominant mating pair of a wolf pack.

(Don't read if you're too opinionated to learn something new about wolves, because I don't want to argue with people over a ridiculous subject like this. Only read if you're curious and want to potentially learn something new from what I've learned from my book learning. All information can be found in real, actual books written by people other than me who are world renowned experts on the subject of wolf biology, who have spent their lives studying these creatures both in the wild and in captivity. I just happen to obsessively stalk them in the hopes that I myself might learn and now I write this in the hopes that other people might learn something from my painstaking book learning, because the internet in general is painfully uneducated about wolves and that annoys me.)

Facts About Alphas

- Contrary to popular belief, the alpha FEMALE is the most dominant wolf in a pack, NOT the male. Humans just think this because our society is generally run by patriarchies - aka, MEN. Wolves are matriarchal and this is seen by how the alpha female is the wolf who decides what a pack hunts, teaches them how to hunt it and generally leads the pack, not her mate. Just because the alpha male has a penis doesn't make him boss.*
- Alpha wolves tend to have a deeper sounding howl than the rest of the pack members, distinguishing them from the subordinates when in chorus. (And yes, wolves harmonize.)
- Visually, alphas have brighter, bolder colouring with higher contrast in markings than subordinate members. This is because they're entitled to the best meat of the kill, which not only makes their fur extra pretty, it gives them a stronger smell than the other members of their family, which aids in scent marking the borders of their territory.
- Alphas are NOT the biggest, toughest members of the pack, but they ARE the smartest. The title of brawniest goes to the betas, who are pretty much the warriors and protectors of the pack. Betas are like bodyguards.
- While the alpha male and female court, they also have subordinate wolves, usually the elders vying for their attention, hoping to become the 'nanny' an extremely important and devoted wolf whose role it is to guard the pups and who will not leave them until dismissed by an alpha.
- Towards mating season and throughout it, the alpha female suppresses the other females in the pack to keep them from entering their heats. This is how it is that only she has pups, because only she comes into estrus.
- The alpha pair mates for life, but if one dies, the remaining alpha will usually choose a new mate.

* All information can be found in Spirit of the Wolf by Shaun Ellis and Monty Sloan. Artwork was referenced from many of the photos in this book. I recommend it to anyone who loves wolves, and especially to those would like to learn about how these animals actually live, contrary to popular culture. (Which gets them wrong pretty much every time!)

VERY unimpressed by the casting of wolves as bad guys YET AGAIN in Dreamworks SKG' Kung Fu Panda 2. Can't people find an animal species to use as antagonists that can actually live with being demonized a little, like bunnies, which are overpopulated nuisances in Australia? Leave off the poor predators! They don't deserve it! Gah! (Was also highly unimpressed by Tai Lung being cast as a snow leopard, a heavily endangered species in the first movie, though props for Tigress.)

(c)Rosanna P. Brost. All Rights Reserved.