Because of the ways in which wolves have evolved and the special demands of their way of life, wolves have become one of the most highly social of all carnivores.
Researchers studying wolves today observe the common traits shared by humans and wolves.
Like many human beings, wolves live in extended families. For wolves, those families are called packs. Wolves live in packs because cooperation allows wolves to bring down larger prey than individual wolves can do on their own. Pack life also insures the care and feeding of the young, and allows wolves to expertly defend their common territory. The male and female leaders of the pack are called alphas.