WildFact
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Information Section
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Terrestrial Wild Animals
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Carnivorous and Omnivores Animals, Excluding Felids
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Canids (Canidae) & Hyaenids (Hyaenidae)
Wolf (Canis lupus)
Wolf (Canis lupus)
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Wolf (Canis lupus)
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Credits to Jasper Trails Alliance.
The Grand Madame of JNP, Wolf 112, the lone, wild soul who roamed the roadways of JNP has died. Her story is remarkable; when she was first collared in 2009 she was jet black and over the years had transformed into a stunning grey, white and black beauty. She had been on her since 2015, racking up incredible distances on the ever constant hunt for food. Oddly, she favoured the roadways, seeming obvious to bustling noise, human barrage and was often spotted trotting on the shoulder. The direct stare of her wild eyes, peered into our psyche and pierced our conscience. Ironically, the roadways which had helped keep her alive was the place where her life ended. She was found lying on the road out by the west gates of JNP, she couldn’t walk, would attempt a few steps, lay back down and was euthanized by JNP wildlife experts. Kendra a wildlife guide for Sundog Tours reminisces with a sigh; "She was a regular visitor on our wildlife tours; she'd make an appearance every few weeks in crazy spots. The Jasper Airfield one week, Medicine Lake the next, JNP west gates later, Sunwapta and all the way back down Maligne. The girl got around!! It was neat seeing how far she could/would travel” Wolf 112 was one unique, resilient gal; the GPS collar data from her extensive roving has kept JNP’s biologists busy and much was learned, she bestowed the gift of special wild to the many who were fortunate to see, and photograph her and managed to bring down and feast on a caribou calf in February as a senior citizen. She’s now back to being black, her joints young and limber, trotting carefree and roaming other wilds. We’ll all miss her... Thanks to Joe Urie, Dieter Kepper and Kendra Neef Nace for the photos of the ultimate, beauty queen of JNP.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to Nancy Gottschalk.
Another photo of 926 from The Lamar Pack Wolf on this last weekend in Yellowstone. Was funny, but this raven flew in front of 926 at the moment I took this photo. In the photo it looks like he was caught by 926, but it was not.  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to Leo Leckie - Yellowstone Wolf Family Tree.
FAREWELL TO A WILD WOLF, A LEADER 779Fb was born into the Mollie's pack in April 2010. She was one of seven surviving pups born to alphas 486Fg and 495Mb. She was radio collared as a pup on January 27, 2011. After the death of her parents in 2011, her older sister 686Fg became the new alpha female for a short time, until her death in September 2013. Both females may have produced pups that year, but only 779Fb’s five pups were believed to survive. 779Fb then took over as the new Mollie’s alpha female of the pack. She produced six pups in 2014, all of which survived to the end of the year. She is the mother of the alpha male of the Wapiti Lake Pack, 1015Mb, born in 2014, and to his older brother and fellow Wapiti packmate, 1014Mb, born in 2013. In August 2015 her mate alpha male 980Mg was kicked by a bull elk while the pack was hunting and died from his injuries. This left alpha female 779Fb with six pups from 2015 and nine yearlings and two-year-old wolves to lead and care for that winter, all of which were related to her. Thus, 779Fb began the search for a new mate in the winter of 2015-2016, leading her pack north through enemy territory along the Northern Range of the park. Her persistence paid off and 890Mb (a wolf nicknamed "Patch") of the Junction Butte pack became her new alpha male in 2016. 779Fb was re-collared in 2017, but did not give birth to pups that year. She along with several other females from different packs had shown signs of having given birth to pups, but no pups survived in any of those packs in 2017 (Mollie's, Junction Butte, Lamar Canyon). The unusual death of so many pups from different packs may suggest that there was a disease outbreak in 2017, perhaps of canine distemper. In early April 2018, just prior to the denning season and immediately following our previous post about the Mollies entitled "Yellowstone's Oldest Pack," her radio collar emitted a mortality signal in the Jasper Bench area of Lamar Valley. She had been seen visibly in distress with a problem in her front legs in the days preceding her death. Because of deep snows, the Yellowstone Wolf Project has not been able to retrieve her body or determine whether she was pregnant with pups, and the exact cause of her death is unknown. She was eight years old, and lived all of her life as a member of the Mollie's Pack. She stepped up to lead one of Yellowstone's most remarkable packs for five amazing years that many of us were blessed to witness. She lived and died naturally, a wild and free wolf. Her mate 890Mb is not related to any of 779Fb's breedable daughters, and thus will be able to breed with them in the future. We will wait to see which of those daughters steps up to assume the mantle of leadership of Yellowstone's oldest pack. (In the accompanying photo I took on Feb 25, 2016 in Lamar Valley, 799Fb is the larger and graying black wolf, second from the right and in the foreground.)  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to Connie Troutman.
My first wolf of the year. He is a beauty and huge. He was trying to get any morsel he could from the carcass. Slim pickens for this wolf and the ravens. I did see a grizzly but he was very skittish and bolted before I had a chance to grab my camera.  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to Brian Allen.
The wolves in Yellowstone are very hard to find and even tougher to photograph. I've been watching them out at great distances the past 3 years, but today we had the wonderful fortune of having this beautiful female (known as 926 the prior Alpha Female) pass directly in front of us. Unfortunately, the skies were very dark and grey and since she was in front of us, she never looked back. She came out of the hills to explore a carcass that Grizzlies and a few other wolves have been feeding on. She left with nothing, unless she ate at the carcass. She was seen shortly after this with a piece of meat in her mouth, which she must have had cached. I believe that she is from the Lamar Canyon Pack.  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to nywolforg.
Squeeze in and get cozy and fierce with critically endangered Mexican gray wolf Belle (F1226) and her daughters born May 2017. Things got a bit testy in the den tonight. Is Belle being a cranky mama? Perhaps; raising 6 kiddos is hard work and requires a lot of patience. Beyond her potential irritability, however, Belle was fulfilling her parental obligations by setting some rules in the cozy den. Wolves mainly use body language to convey the rules for the family. Wolf families usually consist of the breeding pair (mom and dad) and their offspring of varying ages. Sometimes unrelated wolves will join a family too. To maintain order, wolves will rely on their posture, tail position, facial expression and ear position to articulate their status and role within the family. Wolves will also use body language to communicate intentions or to initiate some fun. The parents (sometimes referred to as the “alpha” pair) are the leaders of the pack, and they express their status with erect posture and tails carried high. The less dominant family members (usually the offspring in the family) exhibit their position through submissive behavior. With lowered tails and posture, less dominant wolves acknowledge their role and rank in the family hierarchy. Pawing, tail tucking, and muzzle-licking are among the submissive gestures expressed by less dominant wolves.
Credits to Yellowstone Wolf Family Tree.
THE AMAZING HERO STORY OF BIG GRAY, WOLF 925M The Lamar Canyon Pack might have completely dispersed and ended with the ’06 Female’s untimely death in December 2012 had it not been for the appearance of a very large and loyal gray wolf with a drooping left ear. Known as Big Gray because of his impressive size, he came on the scene and paired with Middle Gray in February 2013. Middle Gray was ‘06’s daughter from her first litter in 2010 and one of the two beta females in the pack – the other being her sister and 2010 littermate, 776Fg. But ’06’s younger daughter born in 2011, a thin black female with the spirit of a spitfire, was drawn to the big male from the beginning. After Middle Gray’s pups born in April 2013 did not appear to survive, she in November 2013 to join her sister 776Fg who was leading her own new pack east of the park. The young female and Big Gray then became a pair, and they were both radio-collared in January 2014 as 926 and 925, respectively. I still remember seeing the pair during the winter 2013-14, eking out survival as the smallest pack in Yellowstone National Park and putting their very lives and bodies on the line in search for food. It’s rare for just two wolves to make a go of it, but defying the odds in 2014 they raised six healthy pups and the new Lamar Canyon Pack of eight delighted watchers all that year. Each morning of 2014 was ripe with anticipation and excitement, wondering what spectacle and breath-taking moment they might provide. The pups would eventually become some of the most well-known wolves in Yellowstone and were known to all as Little Gray (male), Big T (female), Little T (female), 967Mb and 820Fb – the darlings of Yellowstone National Park. But the lives of wolves can turn in a heartbeat, in a change in stride from one day to the next, and our time with them often seems shorter than it should be. And in early 2015, the pack traveled outside their home territory in search of food – as wild wolves who are being wild wolves must do. In the Hellroaring Creek area of the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone – home today to Yellowstone’s newest Crevice Lake Pack -- they successfully hunted and fed , several miles to the west of their home territory in Lamar Valley. But, on their return trip back to their home, tragedy would strike … You see, the larger Prospect Peak Pack had moved eastward from their home territory on the Blacktail Deer Plateau and were hunting in the Slough Creek area of eastern Lower Lamar Valley, also known as Little America. And not only were they larger in number, they were better represented in older adults – a critical component in any conflict between two different packs. Howling is often a way for packs to be aware of and avoid each other, but the Lamars were travelling in earnest back home and the Prospects were feeding from a recent successful hunt the day before. 925 led his family down into Slough Creek from the west and the Lamars were unaware of the pack directly in their path …. The Prospects picked up the rival pack entering from the west, and charged in earnest, tails high and confident of their numbers. Too late the Lamars caught sight of the charging Prospects, and doom for the entire Lamar Canyon Pack seemed at hand … But it was then that a most remarkable and memorable thing happened … You see, 925 – thinking only of the safety of his family – then ran directly toward the dozen charging Prospects. This tactic created enough space for his pregnant mate 926 and pups to outdistance their pursuers. All twelve Prospects converged on the large alpha of the Lamar Canyon Pack and immediately began attacking him. As human watchers looked on in dismay, something remarkable happened … One of 925’s boys, Little Gray, came charging down the hill at break-neck speed toward the wolves attacking his father. Human onlookers gasped beside their scopes as he hurtled toward the melee! And then, at the very last moment, he veered to the left … and half of those attacking his father broke off the attack to chase him! He sped ahead of them and led the half-dozen pursuers further and further away from his dad. Then a second wolf charged down the hill It was 925’s other son 967Mb … He hurtled downward until he was nearly upon the remaining Prospects attacking his dad and then – like his brother before him – veered off at the last minute and drew the remaining attackers away and in pursuit as well. The tactics of his sons worked, and 925 was able to limp away from the scene of the attack … But the pounds of pressure per bite that wolves – especially adult wolves – can inflict is significant, and 925 had deep-tissue and severe organ damage from the attack. He had put himself directly in the path of death in order to save his family … but as he limped off into the sagebrush of Yellowstone’s landscape, he didn’t know whether his sacrifice has truly saved him family or not. He’d done what he could, but was unaware of whether his family was safe or not. But he would know before the end … Sometime during the night before his last breath of life the next day, evidence exists of several younger pawprints around his body and telemetry readings indicated that his mate 926 was in the area. He had been visited by the family he gave his life to save, revealing the undeniable family bonds that exist between wolves … And what they can teach us. Submitted with undying respect, Leo Leckie.  *This image is copyright of its original author
Description
The alpha female of the Lamar Canyon pack attempts to hunt a buck by herself one drizzly morning. Wolves are only successful in their hunt attempts about one in ten times. As you will see in this video, the prey often turns on the predator and fights back. Many wolves die while trying to hunt, whether being kicked, trampled or head butted. The number one cause of death for wolves is wolf on wolf strife.  (07-16-2018, 01:47 AM)AlexE Wrote: Bison vs pack of wolves (Wolf can kill a bison? Even big pack of wolves can't kill a adult bison)Where do you come up this these assumptions? Don't you think you would need more than one video to come to that opinion? here's a lone wolf killing a lone Bison Would it be reasonable for me to assume that all bison are no match for a lone wolf? There are many studies for Wolf predation on Bison, most of the time Wolves kill Elk or Bison Calves but they certainly prey on adults of both as well, especially when the snow pack is light and the calving season doesn't come the same way. http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id...type=CMSID https://phys.org/news/2014-11-merrier-ec...-aids.html Mostly the studies are of the Yellowstone Wolf 081_1128_WBIIYN_2.0.CO;2/4/m_i1545-1542-81-4-1128-t02.png?Expires=2147483647&Signature=jrflfA8QVDl4BbWYAPlNDuMILW3RNAOI7Nzf9zrOAtDNANALWXhwyabDDz2LFdkdPlTr1Kg2MpldtP8HYzkOxXr1MGC3uKj5I-Tgu~i1hDxAzEKzDIJt5DfW9FxxtDAoGbWE94CcYpjUlidghqZtA8gG~tIRiJxgU~QNGkmdFDm2iQmFmVxxn5uoQLJJlQPDsXUxCmlOTgL56IJEfwcGwAq63XiLE7KzloQIOt6ab2XgQXAV07imkyftcK9lQgFWv4Cm3Fy6Ugwrl~O91LOhr6BzM~k645Mwt3Uskeg7S-axAsJi4V9zPwDQpon5zIhSQSmKV~56akuHG1F8d8uLMQ__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIE5G5CRDK6RD3PGA) *This image is copyright of its original author which was reintroduced, most studies mention that these wolves had no interaction with Bison prior to reintroduction but they began to adapt to hunting Bison and have begun doing so with more confidence over the years. Obviously when Elk is more abundant, they prefer Elk but they certainly hunt Bison as well. https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-a...179fd.html
Wolf vs old and sick deer caribou
The Mollie wolf pack. Mollies visiting Lamar Valley on March 29th 2017 and testing a bison. The bison chases them off. The video was taken at 18:08 under thick clouds. The 16 member Mollie wolf pack in Yellowstone National Park grabs a new born bison calf and then goes after the mother. The cow runs to a nearby group of adult bison for protection. The bull bison push the wolves away. The wolves return to the calf carcass. Video captured using a Panasonic Lumix hand held camera through a Zeiss spotting scope on April 26, 2012 It seems like this Bison didn't appreciate this black wolf messing with some old Bison bones. Baby Bison Takes on Wolf and Wins While the Lamar Canyon pack (5 wolves) attempted to hunt a bison calf one of the adult males, Dark Black, or 993M now that he is collared, was scooped up by a bison cow's horn. The wolf was then somersaulted, with his legs and tail well above the bison's head, and then thrown to the ground where he skidded several feet before jumping up and resuming the hunt. Watch closely after Dark Black is tossed to the ground and you will notice that the second cow charges him. If the wolf had not immediately gotten to his feet he would most likely have been gored or trampled to death. As it is, Dark Black, escaped this harrowing ordeal with no visible injuries, although he appeared stiff and sore for a couple of days afterwards. People who have watched wolves for two decades said that this incident between the wolf and the bison was the most amazing thing that they had ever witnessed. Particularly since the wolf survived. The hunt attempt on the bison calf was unsuccessful but the pack did have an elk carcass the following morning. |
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