Christopher MimsMar 1, 2023

Turns out the existence of an "alpha" wolf is a myth.

It was based on old/bad experiments, conducted when unrelated wolves were thrown together in captivity.

In actual wild wolves, packs are just families. There's no dominant alpha battling for the top spot -- and in the rare cases there is, it's an alpha *female* wolf.

Insert obvious implications for the use of this term in human societies.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-alpha-wolf-idea-a-myth/

Is the Alpha Wolf Idea a Myth?

The idea that wolf packs are led by a merciless dictator, or alpha wolf, comes from old studies of captive wolves. In the wild, wolf packs are simply families

Scientific American
Show threadJonathan Harker
@mimsical the really tragic thing is there's a seemingly fashionable dog behaviour and training theory based on being unbelievably cruel to puppies and young dogs in order to assert yourself as their alpha. Which is just nuts, first of all dogs aren't wolves, second what is *wrong* with you that it sounds ok to abuse animals, but for so many other reasons too.
Mar 2, 2023 at 10:50amWeb