Luna – Confidence

When looking at this photo, some may not notice the subtle points that tell the story about the Exhibit Pack’s dynamics.  It appears that two wolves are resting in the front of the wolf exhibit.  But if you look closely, you will see one wolf is more confident than the other.  The key is to identify body postures and slight signs of anxiety.  The most common body posture we track is the position of the ears.  I know I have said this many times before, but “Ears Pricked Forward” is a sign of confidence.  Luna displays this posture while Denali has a more timid, “Ears Pricked and Turned Sideways” posture.   It also appears that Denali has a slightly higher respiration rate, with his mouth partially open, likely panting.  It could be the heat causing him to pant, but it might also be the fact that Luna is behind him.  Often lower ranking wolves are cautious about having a higher ranking wolf behind them.  When we teach people to interpret behavior, it’s these subtle nuances that are critical to becoming a keen observer of wolf behavior.