A beloved species honored in art, literature, folklore, and tradition, the wolf is a social creature that depends on other relatives, like humans, to survive. Wolves live, hunt, and travel the country in packs of seven to eight individuals on average. The alphas, most often the mother and father of the group, take care of both pups and other, younger offspring.
Wolves typically hunt and eat larger hoofed mammals including elk, deer, moose, and caribou, but are also known to dine on a range of smaller animals like beaver, rabbits, and various minor prey. Some wolves are also scavengers, which means they tend to eat whatever is available - even if it's already dead.
The wolf pack functions much like a family, with the alpha female and male wolf taking the responsibility, as pack leaders, for hunting prey, choosing sites for the pack's den, and establishing the boundaries of the pack's territory. The strong, meaningful social bonds between wolves in a pack are one of the main reasons humans have been so intrigued by the wolf community for hundreds of years.