The pelt color of wolves living in Alaska range from black to nearly white, with every shade of gray and tan between these extremes. Gray or black wolves are most common. Adult male wolves in Alaska average about 85-115 pounds. Females average 5-10 pounds lighter and rarely weigh more then 110 pounds. Wolves reach adult size and maturity when they are one year old.
Wolves are highly social animals and usually live in packs.
A wolf pack consists of wolf parents and pups. 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.