SL
Wolf Behavior 101
Lesson 23: Feeding Hierarchy by Jeremy Heft
Biologist/ Sanctuary Manager
Lower Left: The Sawtooth Pack feeding upon a roadkill deer.
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SL - FALL 2016
here is no more important task in a wolf life than eating. Although the act of consuming large prey expends energy in itself, the acquisition of energy through digestion of the protein is essentially the life source for all wolves. Since this all-important task is often competitive among pack members, and all wolves are often excited to eat, an order must be established to prevent chaos over the food. Without such a hierarchy, fighting over the carcass would certainly ensue, inevitably causing meat to be wasted and potentially leading to injuries among the wolves. When wolves tear into a dead animal with high excitement and hunger, large teeth gnash about everywhere and intense jaw pressures are exerted upon the flesh. All of this commotion occurs literally inches away from other pack mates as each wolf vies for a location on the carcass. Accidental bites on
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