By Brittany Karford
Two lines of chain link fence surround the two-acre confine, each stretching 10 feet high, topped with curling wire. Nick Fiore enters and kneels. Across the small meadow a rustle breaks the quiet afternoon heat.
The downy tops of the tall grass sway above an animal as it moves closer, but all that can be seen is a streamline of movement atop the field.
Then, out of nowhere, the wolf emerges a mere few feet ahead.
One of the last five wolves at the Wolf Education Resource Center in Winchester, Idaho, Amani is kept here for the purpose of research and education. As a wolf in captivity, his behavior is much different than that of wild wolves, but he does well to represent the biological and symbolic characteristics of the canis lupis.
Back in the pen, Amani slinks down in his approach, ears alert. He will greet Nick like he would another pack member. Nose and snout almost touching, Amani stops. Nick holds his breath.
He is now face to face with one of the most feared predators in the Northwest.
After a moment?s pause, Nick receives a lap on the face, a quick nuzzle and almost topples over with a rear-end sniff. Amani has just said hello.
Wolves typically greet each other in this way to reinforce pack structure. The pack has a hierarchy, led by the alpha male at the top of the ladder with the omega at the bottom.
The alpha is chosen by the pack for a variety of reasons, including age, experience and demeanor.
?Every wolf is an individual,? said Jeremy Heft, wolf biologist at the Wolf Education Resource Center. ?Some are natural leaders, and some are followers.?
And it?s not always the biggest or strongest. The current alpha male at the center is the smallest in the pack.
Each wolf in the pack has a subsequent rank, which they maintain through behavioral display. The lowest ranking member is the omega.
It may sound complex, but there?s more ? the extensive monitoring of the predator over the last 10 years has unveiled volumes of information about the lives of wolves.
?We know a tremendous amount about them now compared to 10 years ago,? Heft said. ?Some people say we know more about the wolf than any other animal on the planet.?
And wolves have a lot more in common with humans than one might think. Hierarchy, camaraderie and communication are all humanistic traits that packs exhibit.
?Actually, that?s one reason why some wolf biologists think people hate wolves is they?re so much like us,? said Doug Smith, wolf coordinator for Yellowstone Park. ?They live in families, they mate for life, they?re good parents ? they?re very good family animals.?
The pack is a family unit, led by one breeding pair ? the only ones in the pack to reproduce each year. This pair, usually the alpha male and alpha female, is monogamous and dedicated to each other. In fact, one famous wolf in Idaho, B2, traveled over 1,000 miles in search of his mate after she passed away.
Typically, a pack will stay in a territory of about 500 square miles, but they will move to follow their prey-base.
The wolf is opportunistic and will take the weakest animals in the herds or even scavenge for food. Flux in pack size directly depends on access to prey. Most packs have six to eight members, and everyone in the pack, except pups, hunts.
?A wolf is kept alive by its feet,? Heft said. ?They?re built to travel long distances.?
He holds his palm up, fingers stretched. This spread is the size of a wolf?s paw. ?Their paws are also webbed, making the perfect snowshoe in the winter,? Heft said.
With knock-knees, long legs and a keel shaped chest, wolves can push through deep snow. They are built to travel long distances.
?Their muscles are much more dense than dogs,? Heft said. ?They live on their feet. If they?re not sleeping, they?re hunting.?
But they sure do enjoy sleeping.
?They spend at least 12 hours a day sleeping,? said Issac Babcock, a wolf tracker for the Nez Perce Wolf Recovery Program. ?I think we should too.?
These two activities take up most of a wolf?s time, along with mating season, spanning Dec. to Feb., and maintaining territory.
?That?s one thing that?s different about wolves compared to other wildlife is they?re ferociously territorial,? Smith said. ?They have an area of ground that they defend from other packs and there?s no crossing over. There is crossing over, but if you?re caught, you?re in trouble.?
Wolves make their territory known by howling, a language all their own.
?They?re very communicative, like people,? Smith said. ?They howl, they bark, they yip, they squeak, they growl ? they have all kinds of vocalizations.?
The Wolf Education Resource Center wants to translate this language to its visitors.
Back at the center, Amani lays back, his mouth agape. His speckled-black tongue dangles out the side over his long sharp teeth ? teeth that can crush bones in one bite.
?This guy is just a love bug,? said Fiore, manager of the Wolf Education Resource Center, while scrathing the 100 pound wolf?s belly. ?This is their world. We are just visitors.?