Aggression: Attack on a conspecific.
Alpha-Wolf: Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet. In the wolf pack, the alpha male is first, the highest ranking among the males.
Alpha wolf: The highest ranking female in the pack.
Art: Animals (or plants), who mate with each other in the wild without being forced and give birth to offspring capable of reproduction, belong to a species. All wolves (and dogs) the world include e.g. to the species “Canis lupus”. Subspecies are local special forms of a species. arctic wolves, Timberwölfe, Gray wolves or Pal-lipc wolves are such subspecies of the wolf.
Artgenosse: An animal of the same species.
bite inhibition: inhibition of attack, if the attacker accepts the attacked as a group member.
Domestikation: becoming a pet, the conversion of a wild animal species into a domestic animal by humans. Every domestication is preceded by the taming of wild animals. This lasts for many generations and leads to this, that the pet ultimately depends on the human.
fragrance mark: Many animals, including wolves and dogs, mark their territory with urine or faeces. The scent marks set them off as conspicuously as possible.
ice age: Period of Earth's history within the last 1 million years, when the climate was particularly cold and large glaciers lay over Scandinavia and the Alps. At the end of the last ice age ca. 15 000 Years ago, the wolf was the first wild animal to be domesticated.
genus: In the biological name for a species, two names are always given. So the wolf is called e.g. ..Canis lupus“. ..Canis” designates the genus, „lupus” the kind. Several closely related species are combined in the genus Canis, like the coyote (A barking dog) or the golden jackal (A golden dog).
Genetic: Characteristics of an animal or plant, largely through heredity (die Gene) to be determined.
Kehlbiss: The wolf kills cattle the size of a sheep or a deer by biting the throat, holding onto the prey for so long, until she chokes.
„Klein-Alpha“: A young wolf, who behaves in this way within his age group, such as the alpha male or female within the group as a whole.
Crossing: The mating of two animals of different, but closely related species, so z.B. Coyote and Dog on "Coydogs", donkey and horse to mule. Mules or dogs of different breeds.
leader of the pack: A wolf pack is usually led by the senior male. That's why he's sometimes called the leader of the pack, although he does not determine everything alone. The most important wolf in the pack tends to be the alpha female, who binds one or more strong males to herself and her pack for herself and her puppies.
ecology: From the Greek: ..Eco” means house and "ecology" means the relationship between the house and its surroundings. In biology, it's science, the relationship of a living being to its inanimate environment (Climate, floor) and its busy environment (the other animal- and plant species) examined. The ecology of the wolf deals accordingly z. B. with the many interactions between the wolf and its prey.
Rang: The balance of power between two animals, who know each other. In the case of wolves in a pack, however, it is not necessarily based on strength, but is mostly determined by age. The older animals are usually higher in rank, even if they are physically weak. Only between littermates of the same age is the rank fought out. The two highest-ranking positions are also contested, when the strength of one of the alpha animals weakens significantly.
ranking: The sum of all rank relationships in a group. There are two hierarchies in the wolf pack, one for the males and one for the females. The older males are also superior to younger females, just as the alpha female is superior to the younger males. Real ranking fights are only between animals of the same sex.
Ranzzeit: Mating season in wolves, foxes and other canines (caniden).
territory: habitat of an animal, which is defended against foreign conspecifics.
pack: A group of wolves, who occupy a territory together, hunt and live. Most of the time these are closely related animals, around a small group of adult wolves with the alpha pair in the middle, along with their offspring.
male: A male wolf or dog.
stone age: The very long period in human history, where the most important weapons and tools were made of stone. The Stone Age began around. 4000 years from the Bronze Age and later replaced by the Iron Age.
Tundra: The treeless lands far north.
bite-over-the-snout: Typical behavior of older wolves towards pups, young wolves and low-ranking wolves. It is for that, to “brake” the puppy, so to educate. In adult animals, it is a sign of intimidation and punishment.
behavioral research: Also called ethology. which in Greek means as much as the study of the customs and habits of animals. It examines the behavior of an animal species in all areas, so z. B. how the animals move, to preen, hunt and deal with each other. Further investigation, why animals behave in a certain way and what it is useful for .as far as the survival and subsequent reproduction of the individual animals is concerned.
puppy: Cub of a wolf or dog. When the puppy has grown strong enough at around six months. to be able to run with the elders, they call him a young wolf.
wildlife biology: The science, dealing with the behavior and ecology of wild animals.
throw: All of the young born at once of a mother animal.
Teeth whitening: The puckering of the lips of a wolf or dog, where the teeth are visible. Almost always accompanied by a growl, it is a threatening signal.