Interestingly, Mech himself is partly responsible for the term and idea of the alpha make making its way into popular culture (via Wolf.org). He says that his book, called, "The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species," which was published in 1970 and is still in print, discussed that original research paper from the 40's as well as his own research on captive wolves (via Wolf.org). However, as his research progressed through the years, he says he lodged "numerous pleas to the publisher to stop publishing it" because he found that a great deal of the information was inaccurate. He says. "Although most of the book's info is still accurate, much is outdated. We have learned more about wolves in the last 40 years than in all of previous history."
And what has that more recent research proven? In short: that aggressive behavior, in which male wolves fight for a dominant position, is only see in captivity. In other words, when in their natural habitat, wolves do not pit their strength, aggressiveness, and "masculinity" against one another for dominance. Instead, wolf packs, when left to their own devices, demonstrate a much more symbiotic, peaceful distribution of power and responsibility.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEpaCsrF6YvK57lWpqaXBmZK6tvMeaZKaZnJp6t7%2BMm5ytmV2irq2xjLCfmqyjYsGpsYydoJ%2Belaeyr6%2FEaA%3D%3D