![]() The omega suddenly crouched into a play stance with his head low, front legs splayed wide, rump and wagging tail in the air. Like a jester, the omega is often the one to instigate play and act the fool.ĭuring a period when the pack’s mood was calm and relaxed, I watched Lakota approach his brother Kamots. He must suffer terrible abuse at the hands of the king and court, but he is undeniably loved. In some ways, the omega is like the court jester. It may sound odd, but he became a wonderful omega. Instead, I would join him at times when he was by himself, and we would sit together, his paw on my shoulder.Īlthough Lakota was not the initial choice for pack omega, the killing of Motaki by a mountain lion had forced him into that position and he began to adapt to it. We were careful not to show any interest in each other when the rest of the pack was nearby both of us were concerned that he would call attention to himself and risk being disciplined by one of the mid-ranking wolves. Sometimes I would purposefully sneak away from the rest of the pack to carry on this clandestine friendship with the beleaguered omega. Over the years, Lakota and I continued to have this special bond. From that moment, I was captivated by him and would forever hold a special place for him in my heart. Then, he would take his paw, gently place it on my shoulder, and gaze at me with his sweet, wise, amber eyes. As I would sit with him, he would begin to relax a little, beginning to trust that I wasn’t going to hurt him. Lakota’s face bore the marks from such encounters. In dominance displays, a dominant wolf will frequently grab the muzzle of the submissive wolf, as a mother might do to discipline her pups. Sadly, his skin was riddled with small bumps and scabs where the other wolves had nipped him, and there were small scars on his muzzle where the fur would not grow back. During these occasions, I would run my hand down his back through his fur coat. Over the years that I observed him, Lakota would often approach me and timidly lick my face. Obviously there was more to social rank in a wolf pack than mere size and strength. Because of his demeanor it was difficult for me to see, but actually Lakota was a huge wolf, larger than the three other mid-ranking wolves and possibly even larger than his brother, Kamots, the alpha. He kept his tail tucked, his shoulders hunched and his head lowered as he moved about with uncertainty. So Lakota held the omega position alone. One of the things that was so noticeable about Lakota was his posture. In the beginning of the project, the Sawtooth Pack was small, consisting only of five males. The alpha pair would never allow the omega male and female to mate, therefore the omegas are not pair-bonded to each other like the alphas. In wolf hierarchy, the males tend to dominate other males and the females dominate other females so that there is generally a low ranking member of each sex. In most wolf packs, there will be an alpha male and female and frequently an omega male and female. Generally this is a bloodless exchange, but at times, especially during the breeding season, it can get vicious and extremely difficult to watch. ![]() One or many of the wolves will assert themselves over the omega, who flips over onto his back, whimpering in surrender. This order is constantly reinforced by displays of dominance and submission. Unfortunately, the omega bears the brunt of this behavior.
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