Sunday, January 25, 2009
The Arctic Wolf
Arctic wolves are the safest mammals on earth, largely because they live in the most inhospitable regions of the planet. They are concentrated in North America, mainly along its polar edge, and in Greenland, where few humans adventured throughout history. However, some species can be found in Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada. Arctic Wolves (Canis Lupus Arctos) are in many ways similar to their Grey cousins, which can be found almost all the way across the western hemisphere.
Because Arctic wolves haven't dealt with humans as much as their gray counterparts have, they react in a specific way, should a human appear within their range. While most grey wolves seek safety either in attack or in flight, an Arctic wolf may simply stand still and stare. This can even contribute to establishing long-term contacts with animals and befriending them. A senior research scientist of the Biological Resources Division, managed to spend several summers in a company of Arctic Wolves. He even had his boots unlaced by one of them.
The Mexican Wolf
Canis Lupus baileyi (Mexican Wolf)
This is the smallest North American gray wolf. It occupies the most southern territory. It lives in the Sierra Madre and the surrounding region of western Mexico. It is generally dark and grizzly colored. It once roamed the areas of Arizona and New Mexico.
The Red Wolf
Some red wolf's pelt(coat) ranges from cinnamon red, gray, and black. Its smaller than a grey wolf and bigger than a coyote. Its weight is about 40-80 pounds. Red wolves travel in smaller packs then gray wolves. Most times the red wolf pack consists of an adult pair and their young offspring. Adults mate between February and March of every year. Two to three pups are born during April or May. Both males and females help raise their young. When the young are about 6 months old they are mature enough to leave home. Early this century the red wolf lived as far north as Pennsylvania and as west as central Texas. The last remaining red wolves live in coastal rairie and marsh areas. At present, the red wolf is extinct from the wild. Red wolves need between 10 and 100 square miles of habitat to hunt and live. Red wolves prefer to eat white-tailed deer and raccoon, but will eat any available small animal. Pure red wolves are thought to be extinct in the wild. Three problems threaten the future of red wolves - the loss of habitat, the hunting of wolves, and red wolves mating with coyotes. The expansion of agriculture, logging and human settlement cleared the forest home of red wolves. Between 1900 - 1920 red wolves were hunted because they preyed on cattle. As the population of red wolves declined, coyotes expanded into its territory. Today the red wolf population is at 300 captive animals in zoos and captive breeding facilities. Red wolves have been reintroduced at the lligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
A Wolf's Diet
Wolves are carnivores, (meat eaters) but they will eat other foods too. Their diet ranges from big game, such as elk and moose, to earthworms, berries, grasshoppers, fish, birds and mice. Wolves, sometimes to avoid energy loss, go after small or sick animals that are easy prey.
Wolves can eat every 5-6 hours when there is plenty of food available, or they can feast and live on scraps for 2 weeks when there is less food around.
Predator vs. Prey
People have studied wolves to see how many animals they bring down. One moose was caught kill a wolf for this reason wolves try to find a moose that is old or sick-or one that is bogged down in the snow so it can not use it’s dangerous hoof’s to defend it’s self wolves don’t always catch the prey they attack.
Some animals that wolves hunt have dangerous weapons to defend themselves against attack. Deer and elk have hard hoofs that can crack wolf’s bones. Big horn sheep can butt with their heavy horns and cripple a wolf. Perhaps their favorite prey is moose. An average male moose weighs 1,200 pounds! And may stand over 6-½ ft tall at the shoulder. The hoofs of a moose can easily kill a wolf for this reason, wolves try to find a moose that is old or sick or one that is bogged down in deep snow Wolves don’t always catch the prey that they go after. In one study, researchers found that wolves caught only one out of 16 moose’s that they went after.
Some animals that wolves hunt have dangerous weapons to defend themselves against attack. Deer and elk have hard hoofs that can crack wolf’s bones. Big horn sheep can butt with their heavy horns and cripple a wolf. Perhaps their favorite prey is moose. An average male moose weighs 1,200 pounds! And may stand over 6-½ ft tall at the shoulder. The hoofs of a moose can easily kill a wolf for this reason, wolves try to find a moose that is old or sick or one that is bogged down in deep snow Wolves don’t always catch the prey that they go after. In one study, researchers found that wolves caught only one out of 16 moose’s that they went after.
Describing the Wolf
A wolf body is made for chasing large animals and bringing them down. To do this, they have excellent senses to for bringing them down and they have muscles and long legs for running fast. They have very strong jaws and teeth for holding prey. Wolves are the largest wild dogs and bigger then most domestic dogs. A large wolf can be three feet tall and almost 612 ft long! It can weigh more then 100 pounds. Females are smaller then males. When wolves hunt the color of their fur can help them get closer to their prey without being seen. The colors of the fur can blend in well with the background colors in the landscape, causing them to disappear from sight of prey. To protect themselves when it rains or snows, wolves have three "capes" of fur on their back. Water runs off these capes like it runs off of a raincoat. The hair on these capes can be five inches long. Wolves are fast runners - this is partly because they have long legs like stilts. Long legs make it possible to take longer steps as it runs. Wolves have big feet - when they are running over snow or muddy ground their big feet act like snowshoes and also help the wolves feet so they do not sink in the snow. Wolves may look different from each other…in fact when it comes to fur; every wolf seems to be different than any other wolf. Many people who study wolves often patterns and colors to tell one wolf apart from another in the same way that you might look at human faces to tell one person from another.
Why Do Wolves Howl?
Howling is the type of vocal communication the wolf is most famous for (also in their vocal repertoire are whimpers, yips, growls, and barks). It’s no surprise that we are captivated by the sound of a howl, for as the mysterious song fills the vast expanses we are somehow reminded of, and are reconnected to, the wondrous aspects of nature that we may have forgotten about.
Once a wolf begins howling, other pack members often show a strong tendency to approach that animal and join in. Lois Crisler has said, “Like a community sing, a howl is a happy occasion. Wolves love to howl. When it is started, they instantly seek contact with one another, troop together, fur to fur. Some wolves will run from any distance, panting and bright-eyed, to join in, uttering, as they near, fervent little wows, jaws wide, hardly able to wait to sing.”
While the functions of howling are not fully understood, several different types of howling have been identified, each used under different circumstances. Once thing is certain, howling appears to be the glue that keeps the pack together and plays a role in the formation and/or the maintenance of strong bonds between other members of the pack. Some members, usually those who rank lowest in the pack hierarchy, however, may be discouraged, or “punished” for joining in a howling chorus.
One of the most often used howls is a call which reassembles the pack, such as after a chase, or if a wolf has gotten lost. This is a deep, loud, and guttural sound sometimes accompanied with a few barks. Howling seems to convey the location of individual wolves so they can reunite. As wolves range over vast areas to find food, they often become separated from one another. Because of its low pitch and long duration, howling is well-suited for transmission in forests and across tundra and can be carried several miles. If a wolf gets separated from the pack, howling soon begins. In one instance, it was observed that after a mother wolf became separated from her young on one side of a river, she howled to guide her pups to a safe spot to cross.
When wolves return from a hunt, those who stayed behind will rush to greet them and howling may break out as well. Additionally, wolves will sometimes howl after a chase to celebrate a successful hunt.
Before a hunt, a different kind of howl, the social howl, may serve to excite the pack members and bond them prior to setting out. This type of howl is one of sheer joy and is often heard as the pack gathers for a hunt. This social howl celebrates togetherness, pleasure, and friendship. Resting wolves will begin romping about with tails wagging while they sniff and press against each other. Then they will join in on the howl. Wolves will not, however, howl to initiate a chase and will be silent when actually hunting.
The social howl is also used as a warning to wolves in nearby territories. This howl, therefore, has much significance between packs, as well as within. Inter-pack howling may sometimes go on for hours promoting speculation that the howling may function in territorial advertisement or maintenance, and may be a threat or warning. Howling to warn other packs to stay away is most often heard during the mating season, as well as when the pack is at the den or resting sites. Wolves responding to unknown wolf howls are warning the intruder that they will hold their territory and defend their mates, pups, or food sources. However, lone wolves who intend to travel outside their home territory do so silently, because a meeting with wolves in another territory may lead to a confrontation, which sometimes proves fatal to the intruder.
Another type of howl occurs when a wolf is lonely. This is a rising and falling sound with a long slide at the end. This howl is heard mostly during the mating season when a wolf is looking for a possible mate and wolves tend to howl more frequently around the breeding season. A captive wolf might also howl due to a feeling of isolation.
Some researchers have noted that wolves sometimes appear to howl simply because they are happy (a happy howl can sound “mournful”). For example, it has been observed that when a mother wolf is giving birth to her pups inside the den, wolves on the outside start howling and become very excited, prancing about. Once the pups are born the excitement increases and howling gets even louder.
Howling appears to identify a particular wolf, much like a fingerprint does for primates. The many different qualities within a howl allow other wolves to know which wolf is doing the howling so they may identify each other and also those individuals who are not part of their pack. Several field researchers have even claimed the ability to distinguish specific wolves in a pack by their characteristic howls! Additionally, no two wolves will howl on the same note. There is harmony. If two wolves do start on the same note, one or both will change their beginning note. Why they do this is unclear, although some believe it makes the pack sound like a bigger group of animals and, therefore, more threatening to intruders.
There is some evidence that howling might also supply information about their behavior, such as whether the wolf is walking slowly, pacing, or lying down. If such details can be detected in howls, they only occur among associated wolves that have learned to relate each other's behavior to the specific changes in howling. This is only one example illustrating the importance of learning during the socialization process of these intelligent animals.
So, do wolves howl at the moon? It is safe to say that this thought is just a myth. Wolf howls have been inadvertently associated with the moon most likely because they are more active on brighter lit nights.
If you are one of the fortunate ones able to hear a wolf, or a pack of wolves, howl in your lifetime think about all the reasons why they might be howling and, as Mark D. Martinson has said, “ When you hear a wolf’s howl, listen to it to the full. Feel its primeval beauty, way deep in your soul.”
Once a wolf begins howling, other pack members often show a strong tendency to approach that animal and join in. Lois Crisler has said, “Like a community sing, a howl is a happy occasion. Wolves love to howl. When it is started, they instantly seek contact with one another, troop together, fur to fur. Some wolves will run from any distance, panting and bright-eyed, to join in, uttering, as they near, fervent little wows, jaws wide, hardly able to wait to sing.”
While the functions of howling are not fully understood, several different types of howling have been identified, each used under different circumstances. Once thing is certain, howling appears to be the glue that keeps the pack together and plays a role in the formation and/or the maintenance of strong bonds between other members of the pack. Some members, usually those who rank lowest in the pack hierarchy, however, may be discouraged, or “punished” for joining in a howling chorus.
One of the most often used howls is a call which reassembles the pack, such as after a chase, or if a wolf has gotten lost. This is a deep, loud, and guttural sound sometimes accompanied with a few barks. Howling seems to convey the location of individual wolves so they can reunite. As wolves range over vast areas to find food, they often become separated from one another. Because of its low pitch and long duration, howling is well-suited for transmission in forests and across tundra and can be carried several miles. If a wolf gets separated from the pack, howling soon begins. In one instance, it was observed that after a mother wolf became separated from her young on one side of a river, she howled to guide her pups to a safe spot to cross.
When wolves return from a hunt, those who stayed behind will rush to greet them and howling may break out as well. Additionally, wolves will sometimes howl after a chase to celebrate a successful hunt.
Before a hunt, a different kind of howl, the social howl, may serve to excite the pack members and bond them prior to setting out. This type of howl is one of sheer joy and is often heard as the pack gathers for a hunt. This social howl celebrates togetherness, pleasure, and friendship. Resting wolves will begin romping about with tails wagging while they sniff and press against each other. Then they will join in on the howl. Wolves will not, however, howl to initiate a chase and will be silent when actually hunting.
The social howl is also used as a warning to wolves in nearby territories. This howl, therefore, has much significance between packs, as well as within. Inter-pack howling may sometimes go on for hours promoting speculation that the howling may function in territorial advertisement or maintenance, and may be a threat or warning. Howling to warn other packs to stay away is most often heard during the mating season, as well as when the pack is at the den or resting sites. Wolves responding to unknown wolf howls are warning the intruder that they will hold their territory and defend their mates, pups, or food sources. However, lone wolves who intend to travel outside their home territory do so silently, because a meeting with wolves in another territory may lead to a confrontation, which sometimes proves fatal to the intruder.
Another type of howl occurs when a wolf is lonely. This is a rising and falling sound with a long slide at the end. This howl is heard mostly during the mating season when a wolf is looking for a possible mate and wolves tend to howl more frequently around the breeding season. A captive wolf might also howl due to a feeling of isolation.
Some researchers have noted that wolves sometimes appear to howl simply because they are happy (a happy howl can sound “mournful”). For example, it has been observed that when a mother wolf is giving birth to her pups inside the den, wolves on the outside start howling and become very excited, prancing about. Once the pups are born the excitement increases and howling gets even louder.
Howling appears to identify a particular wolf, much like a fingerprint does for primates. The many different qualities within a howl allow other wolves to know which wolf is doing the howling so they may identify each other and also those individuals who are not part of their pack. Several field researchers have even claimed the ability to distinguish specific wolves in a pack by their characteristic howls! Additionally, no two wolves will howl on the same note. There is harmony. If two wolves do start on the same note, one or both will change their beginning note. Why they do this is unclear, although some believe it makes the pack sound like a bigger group of animals and, therefore, more threatening to intruders.
There is some evidence that howling might also supply information about their behavior, such as whether the wolf is walking slowly, pacing, or lying down. If such details can be detected in howls, they only occur among associated wolves that have learned to relate each other's behavior to the specific changes in howling. This is only one example illustrating the importance of learning during the socialization process of these intelligent animals.
So, do wolves howl at the moon? It is safe to say that this thought is just a myth. Wolf howls have been inadvertently associated with the moon most likely because they are more active on brighter lit nights.
If you are one of the fortunate ones able to hear a wolf, or a pack of wolves, howl in your lifetime think about all the reasons why they might be howling and, as Mark D. Martinson has said, “ When you hear a wolf’s howl, listen to it to the full. Feel its primeval beauty, way deep in your soul.”
gives credit to... www.wolfsongalaska.org
Wolf Pups
11-15 days a pups eyes first open
20days hearing begins
21 days first emergence from den
8-10weeks Pups abandon den & live in temporary rendezvous sites
16-26 weeks Milk teeth replaced; winter pelage becomes apparent
27-32 weeks Pups travel with the pack
1 year Epiphyseal cartilage closes
22 months sexual maturity
Baby wolves get a lot of love and care form the moment they are born. Their mother and father makes sure they are well fed kept clean and protected constantly. In fact, wolf parents are among the best parents in the world. The mother stays with the pups for weeks after they are born. She usually doesn’t have to leave to hunt because the father or other member of the pack provides food for her. As the pups grow older they start exploring the world. Other family members start playing a roll in their lives. The young wolves learn to respect older wolves and begin to find their place in the pack.
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