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Many children are raised on the stories of Little Red Riding Hood or the Three Little Pigs,
where the Big, Bad Wolf eats innocent people and pigs. We are scared at sleep overs by tales of a
man who turns into a wolf by the full moon and commits ferocious murders.
In truth, wolves are usually just as afraid of humans as we are of them. Perhaps they are told stories of the Big Bad Human who hides in the woods and shoots unsuspecting wolves, which is certainly more than a story. Almost all of the attacks on humans made by wolves were by rabid wolves. The others were at the brink of desperation for food. We can not say the same for humans.
Before the Europeans came, most Native American Tribes thought of the wolf as a beautiful spirit who they sought to embody. When the white men came, the wolves lived everywhere from the ice lands of Canada to the warmth of Mexico. But in Europe, they were thought of as devils, and treated as such. By the early 1900's, a full-blown genocide was declared on the wolves. 2 million wolves were killed by the 1940's. Hunters were paid by the head in some places, and wolf skins became very fashionable. The horrors commited were beyond count. It wasn't long before howls that had once been heard from sea to shining sea became distant and far apart.
But the wolf is one of the most beautiful creatures created. They range in color from the rare white to the coal black and can be seen in every color between.
They weigh, on average, 35-45 Kg and are between 120-200 cm. in length. (From nose to tip of the tail.) They lose their long hair at the end of every winter, and grow it back in the fall.
Wolves have very keen senses. Their amber colored eyes are made to see in the dark. They have very good hearing. Like the dog next door, they can hear sounds out of the range of humans. If you were to blow a dog whistle at a wolf, he would probably go a berserk as yours does. Their sense of smell is extraordinary. They can smell things up to a mile and a half away!! Wolf packs will mark their territory with sent. A wolf takes a whiff and instantly knows whether he is on enemy turf, or his own backyard. Wolves have 42 teeth, which help them to slice, grab, dig, and crush their dinner.
Wolves communicate by using howls. You can hear a howl up to five miles away! When one wolf hears another howl, he understands what they are saying and who they are. Howling is a means of waking others of the pack up, finding lost members, challenging another pack, and to celebrate the hunt. During January, which is the mating season, wolves howl even more. When the whole pack howls, not a pair of them are on the same note. This gives us a beautiful serenade with a 7 part complex harmony. Wolves will also wine, squeak, growl, and bark to communicate within their packs.
Wolves live in packs, usually about 7 members strong. Most of the wolves in one pack are related, and they only let new members in if the whole pack approves. The hierarchy consists of an Alpha Wolf, usually male, Beta Wolf, usually female, and the scapegoat. The Alpha is in charge of the pack, with the Beta being his/her mate. Out of the pack, only those two will mate, although sometimes the Beta will allow the Alpha to mate with one or more of the tribe. Mating season is in January, and 63 days later, a litter of 4-8 cubs are born. This is a very exciting time for the whole pack.
All the members of the pack will help dig out a den prior to the birth. When the pups are born, they are blind and helpless, just like pups born to your dog. The pack will hunt for the mother and pups, as it is unsafe for them to leave the den for the first few weeks. When they return from their hunting expedition, they regurgitate part of their meal for the hungry pups. The meat is already halfway digested, and easy to eat. Sometimes, the pack will do this for old or sick wolves. When the pack goes hunting after the pups are old enough to venture out of the den, a baby-sitter is left behind, usually the scapegoat.
The scapegoat is as important to the hierarchy of the pack as is the Alpha Wolf. The scapegoat is the one who everyone picks on, who is last to the meal, and the one most often "attacked" by the pack. They teach the rest of the pack what happens if they fail to follow the Alpha Wolf. They show submission by allowing themselves to be beaten, even offering themselves before the fight even starts!
Pups are taught at an early age the hierarchy of the pack and how to follow it. In almost every litter, there is their own hierarchy, with a little Alpha and a little Beta, and sometimes even a little scapegoat. They play fight each other to learn survival skills. Just like children, they are ever curious and playful.
When a wolf disobeys the pack leader, it will usually be kicked out of the pack. They usually wander on their own as Lone Wolves. They tend to howl more, as if to tell the whole world how lonely they are. Sometimes two lone wolves of different genders will find each other and start a new pack of their own.
The pack is part of their survival. It helps bring down prey. Most people think that wolves will bring down all the deer in a herd, or all the caribou, or moose, or whatever herd is there, and only eat the choice parts. But they don't. Only humans do that. Wolves only bring down about 1 out every 16 prey they chase. They will gorge themselves on this one meal, eating everything but perhaps the skull and a few other bones. What they don't eat, scavengers will. They usually only eat once every few days. Then they will spend their time lazing about, digesting, until it's time to go out in search of another meal.
Wolves are not vicious animals! They kill out of necessity, and then waste nothing. They help keep herds in check by killing the weak, sick, and old. But many people don't look at it that way. Many people would rather have the 100 dollars now than for these animals to be around when their great-grandchildren are alive. While they are still around in Canada and Alaska, wolves are on most endangered lists in the lower 48 states. Recently, Yellowstone National Park established a reintroduction program, and wolves have been introduced into the park. They are doing well and are expected to be off the endangered species list in those states by the year 2005.
Within the last year, however, a judge ruled that the reintroduction program was illegal, placing new wolves over an already existing population. This so-called "population" was no more that four lone wolves!! If we had waited another 10 years, this "population" would be gone! But now this judge wants to spend millions of tax-payer's dollars to relocate the wolves again, or even go so far as to kill them. For now, he has stayed his own court order, but who knows what tomorrow brings?
This site was created by C.Park
Copyright 1998, Armona at Armona's Labyrinth. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this site or any material within this site may be used without
the expressed written permission from the author.
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