Although most wolves in North America are a grizzled gray color, they can range in color from tan to pure white or solid black. The gray wolf utilizes its acute senses to survive and flourish in the wilderness. Scientists have estimated that the wolf's sense of smell is up to one hundred times more sensitive than that of a human. One researcher found that a cow moose with twin calves was scented by wolves over four miles away. The sense of hearing is the next most acute of the wolf senses.
Wolves can hear much higher frequencies than humans.
While the upper auditory limit is 20 kHz for humans, wolves may detect frequencies as high as 80 kHz. Wolves are social animals that hunt, travel, and live in packs. The pack is primarily an extended family unit that is bonded very closely. The pack will consist of a dominant pair of breeding wolves known as the alpha pair, their current offspring, and a few yearlings or other young wolves. There is a definite hierarchy system within every pack with the dominant pair being referred to as alpha and the lowest member in the hierarchy known as the omega wolf.