Wolves, like humans, are social creatures. The Economist took a look at the benefits that being group oriented had for wolves:

• One would think that those who live in larger social groups are more prone to getting sick from one another.
• However studies of the wolves of Yellowstone indicated that the size of a pack didn’t affect the likelihood of getting a disease.
• Moreover those in a larger pack were more likely to survive getting a disease, possibly because other wolves could help hunt.
• The researchers also found that age matters. Having an older wolf aged six or more increased the likelihood that a pack would win a fight against a rival pack.
• The effect was large. If two equal sized packs went to war, the side that had an aged wolf would have a 150% greater chance of surviving.
• Since the average wolf lives four years, having a six year old veteran probably means that the older wolf has more tactical combat experience, shepherding its pack-mates to fight better.

Read more about the wolves here.

Source: The Economist