Fact File: Viral videos do not show ‘genius’ wolf pack hierarchy

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A photo claiming to show a strategic wolf pack formation appeared in several videos that have gone viral on social media in recent months. The videos claim the oldest and sickest wolves lead the pack as they walk single file through the snow. They are followed by a second tier of young and strong wolves, then “women and children,” so-called bodyguard wolves and finally the pack leader.

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The photo is real, taken from a 2011 BBC documentary showing wolves in Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park. However, a wildlife biologist familiar with wolf behaviour said wolves do not hunt and travel in the fanciful hierarchy described by the videos.

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THE CLAIM

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“The wolf pack’s formation is an impressive example of strategy and protection, with each tier serving a specific role,” reads the caption of an Instagram reel posted Monday with more than 70,000 views.

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The video includes a photo of a wolf pack moving through the snow along with claims about the pack’s hierarchy.

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It says the three wolves leading the pack are the oldest and weakest of the group who “set the pace” for the others. Following close behind are the “second tier” consisting of the youngest and strongest wolves who protect their elders from attacks, the video claims.

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The third tier of “women and children” walk in the protected middle section while the strong “bodyguard” wolves bring up the rear, with the pack leader at the very back.

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“This formation is genius. Even if there’s a surprise attack from behind, the women and children remain safe. It also buys time for the other tiers to react and assist,” the video’s narrator says in a British accent reminiscent of David Attenborough.

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Similar videos including the photo went viral on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, earning millions of views.

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THE FACTS

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A reverse image search of the photo reveals it originated in the 2011 BBC nature documentary “Frozen Planet.”

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The caption accompanying the original photo says it shows 25 timber wolves hunting bison in Wood Buffalo National Park, which spans the boundary between Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

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“The wolf pack, led by the alpha female, travel single file through the deep snow to save energy,” the caption reads, using the term “alpha” that most wildlife biologists now consider outdated.

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The recent videos’ claims about the pack’s hierarchy have been around since at least 2015, but they aren’t accurate.

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Morgan Anderson, a senior wildlife biologist with the British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land and Water Stewardship, said wolves do use strategy for hunting and travelling.

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However, the claims made about the photo are misleading, she said in an email to The Canadian Press.

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Most wolf packs travel as a family unit consisting of a breeding pair and their offspring and “not a platoon of soldiers,” Anderson said.

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“I’m afraid the ‘protect the old and sick’ isn’t a particular paradigm of wolf society. I’ve been to a few mortality events where they’ve eaten their packmates,” she said. “Nor is having a cadre of mothers and babies to protect — it’s one family, not a village.”