Science & technology | Ecology

Pack power

The wolves of Yellowstone provide some surprising survival lessons

Don’t let the grey hair fool you

LIKE people, wolves have found that there are benefits to be had living in a group. Together they can more effectively take down large prey, raise families and defend their territory. The received wisdom is that there are also costs to group living, not least a greater risk of death from catching a contagious disease. Now a team of ecologists working in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming have found evidence that for wolves, at least, that is not always the case.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Pack power”

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