Post by Azaelia on Mar 17, 2015 15:13:14 GMT -8
"How Often Do Wolves Fight?
Wolves fight actually very often and over very many things for different reasons and at different extents. Wolves will tussle over food, each wolf wanting the best bit of meat they can get. There isn't actually a rule that the alpha is automatically presented with the first bite; It's whoever fights for it. Of course, not vicious enough to take off an ear, but they give enough of a hassle to deter the threatening wolf away.
Wolves also may fight over minor dominance issues. It's a daily routine to have a dominant wolf show dominance over a submissive wolf. The dominant wolf may growl, snarl, act aggressively, snap at the submissive wolf's face (Not biting them) sniff at their genitals, and wrap their jaws around the other wolf's muzzle, while the submissive wolf may willingly roll over and expose their belly and genitals, whine, and lick at the dominant wolf's jaws. The dominant wolf may even mount the submissive wolf to provoke them to roll and submit.
Another reason for fighting is territorial disputes. Honestly rather than asking questions first and attacking if the trespassing wolf does not show submission, a pack of wolves will attack a lone trespasser aggressively to defend their territory, no matter who it is and why they're there. If the rogue shows submission, fully belly up and tail tucked, mercy may be shown upon them, but it's usually best to run and stay off of the territory at all times, especially if they are outnumbered.
Lastly, loner wolves that cross paths in the forest may fight for dominance rights among themselves, even if neither are part of a pack. They may fight over scraps, females that are in heat, or small bits of territory. The extent of ferocity may vary depending on the individuals and desire of something. Even a "verbal argument" will have some teeth involved. It's just the way wolves do things: with their teeth and body posture.
Why Do Wolves Fight?
As stated above, wolves fight for many reasons. These fights are usually rather small, quick tussles that settle a point, and then life goes on. Imagine if you're a lone wolf who wandered into a pack's territory, and the pack is running toward you with unhappy faces. Without hesitation, you would most likely run. You are outnumbered, and a few bites on the leg is not worth the trouble of passing through or sleeping a night on the pack's grounds. It's instinct to settle things with teeth, but also instinct to flee and avoid injury. A few bites on the leg could allow infection to set in or cause a hindrance in hunting, thus the wolf would die in a matter of weeks. Or a weakness in a dominant wolf could open up chance for take over of a lower-ranking but dominant wolf. Neither the dominant wolf nor the loner want the effects of injuries.
To What Extent Do Wolves Fight?
Again, as said before, a wolf fight is usually just a quick tussle to settle a point or scare someone off. Usually wolves are not attacking to kill. Among animals-- and even people-- there is the "fight or flight" response which causes the animal to fight is absolutely necessary, or fight enough to allow them to flee. Wolves aren't necessarily looking for a fight. A fight is somewhat of a last resort. Neither wolf is looking to get hurt and put their life in danger. Of course sometimes, when a fight is absolutely necessary, it may be very deadly. A fight to end a life would most likely be a last resort, "the victim is a true threat", "that threat must be exterminated" deal.
Above is a video of two wolves fighting over most likely a dominance issue. The white wolf is higher ranking and more dominant, while the black wolf is less so. Possibly, the black wolf was challenging the white wolf to gain more dominance, but the white wolf fought back and put the black wolf in its place. As you can see, the fight is rather short and there were hardly any real bites that drew blood. Only a few nips and some forcing the black wolf into a submissive state. Also, it's plain to see that the black wolf really didn't want trouble and was doing its best to avoid further nips, while the white wolf didn't want to fight either, but was doing what it had to do to keep its dominant position. (Notice, also, that the hackles are raised completely on the white wolf, and are not very raised at all on the black wolf.)
Also, in the video at the end, you can here one person say "He's happy, he's wagging his tail." This is actually a false statement. Just because the tail is wagging does not mean that the wolf is "happy." Often times, a couple wags of the tip of the tail as shown in the video is more of an indication of an attack. One can also tell by the position of the ears on both wolves (offset) that both wolves are unsure about the situation and clearly a bit uncomfortable. Also note the facial expressions of the wolves: The white wolf is not baring its' teeth, it's eyes are slanted and it's brow is furrowed. The black wolf is baring its' teeth completely and sort of "smiling", while its' eyes are wide. Lastly, there's a lot of different sounds coming from the wolves. The white one growls pretty ferociously while the black one makes many high-pitched whines. Obviously the growling of the white wolf means threat and dominance, but the squeaks of the black wolf is a sound of submission, or a sound to tell the white wolf that that he will give up if the fight stops. All of these things-- body posture, sounds, facial expressions-- are very important in wolf behavior and each thing can tell a wolf something different.
Below is a video of a pack of wolves fighting among themselves. There is a carcass on scene and both black wolves fighting have their tails raised which implies that this is another dominance battle-- but much more serious. Most likely, this is a fight between two very dominant wolves, one probably looking to become the next alpha or beta. Both wolves are fighting viciously and neither are willing to give up. The bites are real and the fangs latch into the flesh of the other, their paws are lashing and hitting one another, and there is quite an amount of blood on the snow. Even other wolves in the pack are involved in a few clips, some mounting one of the wolves to try and force it to submit, others throwing their own fangs into the mix. It's a heated battle over a very high-ranking position-- one wolf defending, the other doing its best to acquire that position-- and other wolves seeing their chance to either rid themselves of the old leader or help keep their leader in the alpha spot. Later on, at the end, you can see that one of the wolves is loosing and needs to flee to keep their life. Unfortunately, the winning wolf is not going to allow the loser to take off; It wants to finish off the threat and make sure they get the high-ranking position. However, though this fight is much more intense and is a life-or-death situation, it is still rather short.
"
Wolves fight actually very often and over very many things for different reasons and at different extents. Wolves will tussle over food, each wolf wanting the best bit of meat they can get. There isn't actually a rule that the alpha is automatically presented with the first bite; It's whoever fights for it. Of course, not vicious enough to take off an ear, but they give enough of a hassle to deter the threatening wolf away.
Wolves also may fight over minor dominance issues. It's a daily routine to have a dominant wolf show dominance over a submissive wolf. The dominant wolf may growl, snarl, act aggressively, snap at the submissive wolf's face (Not biting them) sniff at their genitals, and wrap their jaws around the other wolf's muzzle, while the submissive wolf may willingly roll over and expose their belly and genitals, whine, and lick at the dominant wolf's jaws. The dominant wolf may even mount the submissive wolf to provoke them to roll and submit.
Another reason for fighting is territorial disputes. Honestly rather than asking questions first and attacking if the trespassing wolf does not show submission, a pack of wolves will attack a lone trespasser aggressively to defend their territory, no matter who it is and why they're there. If the rogue shows submission, fully belly up and tail tucked, mercy may be shown upon them, but it's usually best to run and stay off of the territory at all times, especially if they are outnumbered.
Lastly, loner wolves that cross paths in the forest may fight for dominance rights among themselves, even if neither are part of a pack. They may fight over scraps, females that are in heat, or small bits of territory. The extent of ferocity may vary depending on the individuals and desire of something. Even a "verbal argument" will have some teeth involved. It's just the way wolves do things: with their teeth and body posture.
Why Do Wolves Fight?
As stated above, wolves fight for many reasons. These fights are usually rather small, quick tussles that settle a point, and then life goes on. Imagine if you're a lone wolf who wandered into a pack's territory, and the pack is running toward you with unhappy faces. Without hesitation, you would most likely run. You are outnumbered, and a few bites on the leg is not worth the trouble of passing through or sleeping a night on the pack's grounds. It's instinct to settle things with teeth, but also instinct to flee and avoid injury. A few bites on the leg could allow infection to set in or cause a hindrance in hunting, thus the wolf would die in a matter of weeks. Or a weakness in a dominant wolf could open up chance for take over of a lower-ranking but dominant wolf. Neither the dominant wolf nor the loner want the effects of injuries.
To What Extent Do Wolves Fight?
Again, as said before, a wolf fight is usually just a quick tussle to settle a point or scare someone off. Usually wolves are not attacking to kill. Among animals-- and even people-- there is the "fight or flight" response which causes the animal to fight is absolutely necessary, or fight enough to allow them to flee. Wolves aren't necessarily looking for a fight. A fight is somewhat of a last resort. Neither wolf is looking to get hurt and put their life in danger. Of course sometimes, when a fight is absolutely necessary, it may be very deadly. A fight to end a life would most likely be a last resort, "the victim is a true threat", "that threat must be exterminated" deal.
Above is a video of two wolves fighting over most likely a dominance issue. The white wolf is higher ranking and more dominant, while the black wolf is less so. Possibly, the black wolf was challenging the white wolf to gain more dominance, but the white wolf fought back and put the black wolf in its place. As you can see, the fight is rather short and there were hardly any real bites that drew blood. Only a few nips and some forcing the black wolf into a submissive state. Also, it's plain to see that the black wolf really didn't want trouble and was doing its best to avoid further nips, while the white wolf didn't want to fight either, but was doing what it had to do to keep its dominant position. (Notice, also, that the hackles are raised completely on the white wolf, and are not very raised at all on the black wolf.)
Also, in the video at the end, you can here one person say "He's happy, he's wagging his tail." This is actually a false statement. Just because the tail is wagging does not mean that the wolf is "happy." Often times, a couple wags of the tip of the tail as shown in the video is more of an indication of an attack. One can also tell by the position of the ears on both wolves (offset) that both wolves are unsure about the situation and clearly a bit uncomfortable. Also note the facial expressions of the wolves: The white wolf is not baring its' teeth, it's eyes are slanted and it's brow is furrowed. The black wolf is baring its' teeth completely and sort of "smiling", while its' eyes are wide. Lastly, there's a lot of different sounds coming from the wolves. The white one growls pretty ferociously while the black one makes many high-pitched whines. Obviously the growling of the white wolf means threat and dominance, but the squeaks of the black wolf is a sound of submission, or a sound to tell the white wolf that that he will give up if the fight stops. All of these things-- body posture, sounds, facial expressions-- are very important in wolf behavior and each thing can tell a wolf something different.
Below is a video of a pack of wolves fighting among themselves. There is a carcass on scene and both black wolves fighting have their tails raised which implies that this is another dominance battle-- but much more serious. Most likely, this is a fight between two very dominant wolves, one probably looking to become the next alpha or beta. Both wolves are fighting viciously and neither are willing to give up. The bites are real and the fangs latch into the flesh of the other, their paws are lashing and hitting one another, and there is quite an amount of blood on the snow. Even other wolves in the pack are involved in a few clips, some mounting one of the wolves to try and force it to submit, others throwing their own fangs into the mix. It's a heated battle over a very high-ranking position-- one wolf defending, the other doing its best to acquire that position-- and other wolves seeing their chance to either rid themselves of the old leader or help keep their leader in the alpha spot. Later on, at the end, you can see that one of the wolves is loosing and needs to flee to keep their life. Unfortunately, the winning wolf is not going to allow the loser to take off; It wants to finish off the threat and make sure they get the high-ranking position. However, though this fight is much more intense and is a life-or-death situation, it is still rather short.
"
-Raven
