GREY WOLF HOWLING FREE
Wolves in wilder, more open areas free from human development tend to live longer lives. Wolf packs that live nearer to humans tend to undergo more human persecution and as a result have a shorter lifespan. The lifespan of a wolf varies in accordance to its proximity to humans. This makes wolves a particularly interesting species that can contribute to a larger impact on the ecosystem as a whole. Mustelids (members of the weasel family), felines (cats), and bears all choose to hunt alone, only tolerating the opposite sex during mating season. The highly complex social structure of the lives of wolves is rather unusual for large predators, who usually choose a solitary life.
GREY WOLF HOWLING FULL SIZE
Pups grow and mature very quickly they reach their full size by 14 months and learn to hunt during their first fall. Pups are born blind and deaf in a natal den dug out by the alpha female. All wolves love pups and welcome new litters each spring. After the alpha female gives birth to a litter of 5-6 pups and concludes nursing she will assign a nanny to train and teach the pups. One of the most important roles in the wolf pack is that of the nanny. The beta wolf performs the important role of diffusing tension between other pack members. The lowest ranking member of the family is the beta wolf, who is often picked on. The alpha pair will rarely participate in a hunt, leaving that to the younger members of the community. If a male leaves a pack or is kicked out by the alpha it will often become the alpha of another pack.Īside from the alpha male and female there are several other roles and functions assigned to the different pack members. Some pack members may eventually break away and set off on their own to either establish their own packs or join another. The rest of the pack members consist of the alpha pair’s offspring. Each pack has an alpha pair consisting of one male and one female, which is usually the only breeding pair within a pack. The social structure of the wolf is centered around the pack, a group of 2-20 wolves that take on specific roles and functions within the community. Other than primates, wolves have the most complex social structure amongst land mammals. In fact, all domestic dogs have evolved from gray wolves. It is believed that these two species separated on an evolutionary scale about 1.5 million years ago. The gray wolf’s closest relative, the coyote, has taken over much of the gray wolf’s former range due its near eradication during the early 20th century. The gray wolf is the largest member of the Canid family and the third largest predator in the Northwest after the grizzly and black bears. Following the extinction of the dire wolf, the gray wolf became the top predator in North America. The smaller and quicker gray wolf, which hunted in packs, was much more suited to this newly forested environment. It is believed by scientists that because dire wolves were much larger they could not keep up with the ungulates that had become much faster and adapted to run through forested areas after the retreat of the last glaciers at the end of the ice age. The gray wolf’s much larger cousin, the dire wolf, was the primary predator until it went extinct about 8,000 years ago. Evidence shows that gray wolves appeared in North America around 15,000 years ago during a period of oversized mammals. Wolves have been a part of the American landscape for a much longer time period than humans have.
GREY WOLF HOWLING SERIES
This is the second article in Mike’s “Howling to be Heard” series you can read the first one on wolf folklore here.
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