• HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    Apparently the concept of alpha male in wolves came from those observed in captivity.

    Sure there’s a link there

    • maniclucky@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I’m not sure about the captivity thing, but I do know that what were originally asserted to be ‘alphas’ were the breeding pairs. They were parents leading their children.

      • seaweedsheep@literature.cafe
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        10 months ago

        There was a very flawed study years ago where a biologist observed wolves in captivity and determined that they fight for dominance within the pack. Later, he realized that in a natural setting, a pack is a breeding pair and their pups, as you stated. A natural pack is much more cohesive and doesn’t have a strict hierarchy, but the ridiculous myth of “alpha wolves” won’t go away completely, despite the same biologist’s efforts.

        • schmorp@slrpnk.net
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          10 months ago

          Because we’ve caged ourselves and behave like the captured wolves of the study, including the Alpha male shit.