Larger packs may have two to three litters of pups from more than one female. The social order in the pack is characterized by a dominance hierarchy, with a separate rank order among females and males. This prevents fighting among the pack members except during periods of stress. In most areas wolf packs tend to remain within a territory used almost exclusively by pack members, with only occasional overlap in the ranges of neighboring packs. In Alaska the territory of a pack often ranges from 300 to 1,000 square miles of habitat with the average being 600 square miles.
Wolves are carnivores, and in most of Mainland Alaska, moose and caribou are their primary food.
In southeast Alaska, Sitka black-tailed deer, mountain goats, and beavers are the most important sources of food. During the summer wolves may eat small mammals including voles, lemmings, ground squirrels, snowshoe hare, beaver, and occasionally birds and fish. A pack may kill a caribou or moose every few days during the winter. At other times a pack may go with out food for up to two weeks. Sonogram technician examines captured female to see if she is carrying pups.