Wise Up On Wolves

Mr. Hawkin's Fun Facts

Do wolves seek shelter during bad weather in their dens?

Research and observation shows that wolves tend to be prepared for weather with their thick coats and daily intake of protein to not need shelter from weather.   Wolves will usually never enter a den unless there are new young pups there and then it will usually be the alpha female or the alpha male bringing food. Wolves in blizzards actually often find the center of a meadow to ride the weather out.  Wolves travel well worn paths in the snow to conserve energy and usually travel single file with the alpha pair at the lead and subordinates following behind. Wolves use visual and olfactory senses to determine where trails are even when the snow is gone. Wolves also have some members of the pack that patrol the boundary zones to avoid intruders coming in to steal resources. Wolves scent post their territory with urine and feces. Most urine posts on the boundaries range about 900 ft apart.  Unwanted visitors are often killed by the territorial pack.

Do wolves look up into the sky more than dogs?

Wolves tend to look up into the sky often because fresh kills are often signaled by magpies or other scavenger birds. Wolves defend their kill against these birds.  Studies have shown that predatory scavenger birds such as magpies can eat up to 30 % of an available kill.  Wolves cannot afford to lose this amount of energy every time they make a kill.

Do wolves have natural parasites?

Wolves tend to get worms just like dogs do. Wolves tend to survive this though.  Wolves will eat grass just like your dog does. The eating of grass scours out the intestine and gets rid of microscopic parasites. This is why your dog eats grass from time to time.  It can prevent oncoming illness and it can also aid in getting rid of some of the parasites already in the intestine. There is absolutely no food value to the grass for a wolf.  Ungulates or hooved animals that chew a cud are those who have multiple stomachs for digesting grasses. However, in the spring the diet for elk, moose and deer changes during a brief period and the stomach must adjust to this change. This causes prey species to be very anemic and weak at this time and offers prime opportunity to make kills during the primary whelping or birthing  times for female wolves. This is when the alpha will need much energy for herself and the new pups.  Nature has a way of providing for itself.