Fauna Series No. 5

Fauna of the National Parks — No. 5 The Wolves of Mount McKinley

CHAPTER TWO:
WOLF (continued)

Home Life (continued)

EAST FORK RIVER DEN—1940

Finding the Den.—In front of our cabin at East Fork River, on May 15, 1940, wolf tracks were seen in the fresh snow covering the gravel bars. The tracks led in both directions, but since there was no game upstream at the time to attract the wolves, it appeared that some other interest, which I hoped was a den, accounted for their movement that way. I followed the tracks up the bar for a mile and a half directly to the den on a point of the high bank bordering the river bed. In contrast to the Toklat den, which was located in the woods in a flat patch of timber, this one was 2 miles beyond the last scraggly timber, on an open point about 100 feet above the river where the wolves had an excellent view of the surrounding country. Apparently a variety of situations are chosen for dens for I was told of two others which were located in timber, and of a third which was in a treeless area at the head of a dry stream.

Foxes had dug the original den on the point, and wolves had later moved in and had enlarged a few of the burrows. It seems customary in this region for wolves to preempt fox dens. Former Ranger Swisher, who had found at least four wolf dens, said that all of them had originally been dug by foxes. There are many unoccupied fox dens available so it is not strange that they are generally used by the wolves. The soil at the sites is sandy or loamy, at least free of rocks, so that digging is easy. Only a little enlarging of one of the many burrows is required to make a den habitable for a wolf. Although the adult wolves can only use the enlarged burrow, the whole system of burrows is available to the pups for a few weeks. This advantage is incidental and probably has no bearing on the choice of fox dens as homes.

Figure 4: Locale of East Fork wolf den, which was on the promontory at left of picture (see arrow). The author's observation point was on the ridge directly opposite, between the two branches of the East Fork of the Toklat River. The mountains of the Alaska Range, on the skyline, are used in summer by sheep. [May 5, 1940.]

When I approached this den the black male wolf was resting 70 yards away. He ran off about a quarter of a mile or less and howled and barked at intervals. As I stood 4 yards from the entrance, the female furtively pushed her head out of the burrow, then withdrew it, but in a moment came out with a rush, galloped most of the way down the slope, and stopped to bark at me. Then she galloped toward the male hidden in a ravine, and both parents howled and barked until I left.

From the den I heard the soft whimpering of the pups. It seemed I had already intruded too far, enough to cause the wolves to move. As I could not make matters much worse, I wriggled into the burrow which was 16 inches high and 25 inches wide. Six feet from the entrance of the burrow there was a right angle turn. At the turn there was a hollow, rounded and worn, which obviously was a bed much used by an adult. Due to the melting snow it was full of water in which there was a liberal sprinkling of porcupine droppings. A porcupine had used the place the preceding winter. Its feeding signs had been noted on many of the nearby willows. From the turn the burrow slanted slightly upward for 6 feet to the chamber in which the pups were huddled and squirming. With a hooked willow I managed to pull three of the six pups to me. Not wishing to subject all of them to even a slight wetting, and feeling guilty about disturbing the den so much, I withdrew with the three I had. Their eyes were closed and they appeared to be about a week old. They were all females, and dark, almost black. One appeared slightly lighter than the other two and I placed her in my packsack to keep for closer acquaintance. The other two were returned to their chamber and I departed.

After my intrusion it seemed certain that the family would move, so the following morning I walked toward the den to take up their trail before the snow melted. But from a distance I saw the black male curled up on the point 15 yards from the entrance, so it was apparent that they had not moved away after all. In fact, they remained at the den until the young were old enough to move off with the adults at the normal time.

Figure 5: The person (right center of the picture) is standing near one of the entrances to the East Fork wolf den. The lookout ridge is across the bar to the left, and sheep mountains above Polychrome Pass are on the skyline. [August 26, 1940.]

On a ridge across the river from the den, about a half mile or less away, there were excellent locations for watching the wolves without disturbing them. There was also a view of the landscape for several miles in all directions.

Between May 15, when the den was discovered, and July 7, when the wolves moved a mile away, I spent about 195 hours observing them. The longest continuous vigil was 33 hours, and twice I observed them all night. Frequently I watched a few hours in the evening to see the wolves leave for the night hunt. Late in the summer and in the early fall after the family had left the den, I had the opportunity on a few occasions to watch the family for several hours at a time.

Composition of the East Fork Family.—So far as I am aware it has been taken for granted that a wolf family consists of a pair of adults and the pups. Perhaps that is the rule, although we may not have enough information about wolves to really know. Usually when a den is discovered the young are destroyed and all opportunity for making further observations is thereby lost.

Figure 6: Five-year-old girl standing in the entrance of one of the burrows of the East Fork wolf den. [August 26, 1940.]

The first week after finding the East Fork den I remained away from its vicinity to let the wolves regain whatever composure they had lost when I intruded in their home. On May 26, a few days after beginning an almost daily watch of the den, I was astonished at seeing two strange gray wolves move from where they had been lying a few yards from the den entrance. These two gray wolves proved to be males. They rested at the den most of the day. At 4 p. m., in company with the black father wolf, they departed for the night hunt. Because I had not watched the den closely the first week after finding it I do not know when the two gray males first made their appearance there, but judging from later events it seems likely that they were there occasionally from the first.

Five days later, a second black wolf—a female—was seen, making a total of five adults at the den—three males and two females. These five wolves lounged at the den day after day until the family moved away. There may have been another male in the group for I learned that a male had been inadvertently shot about 2 miles from the den a few days before I found the den.

Late in July another male was seen with the band, and a little later a fourth extra male joined them. These seven wolves, or various combinations of them, were frequently seen together in August and September. Five of the seven were males. The four extra males appeared to be bachelors.

The relationship of the two extra males and the extra female to the pair is not known. They may have been pups born to the gray female in years past or they may have been her brothers and sister, or no blood relation at all. I knew the gray female in 1939. She was then traveling with two gray and two black wolves which I did not know well enough to be certain they were the same as those at the den in 1940. But since the color combination of the wolves traveling together was the same in 1940 as in 1939, it is quite certain that the same wolves were involved. So apparently all the adult wolves at the den in 1940 were at least 2 years old. In 1941 it was known that the extra male with the female was at least 2 years old for he was an easily identified gray male which was at the den in 1940. The fact that none of the 1940 pups was at the 1941 den supports the conclusion that the extra wolves at the 1940 den were not the previous year's pups.

The presence of the five adults in the East Fork family during denning time in 1940 and three in 1941, and three adults in the Savage River family, suggests that it may not be uncommon to find more than two adults at a den. The presence of extra adults is an unusual family make-up which is probably an outcome of the close association of the wolves in the band. It should be an advantage for the parents to have help in hunting and feeding the pups.

Description of the Individual Wolves.—Wolves vary much in color, size, contour, and action. No doubt there is also much variation in temperament. Many are so distinctively colored or patterned that they can be identified from afar. I found the gray ones more easily identified since among them there is more individual variation in color pattern than in the black wolves.

The mother of the pups was dark gray, almost "bluish," over the back, and had light under parts, a blackish face, and a silvery mane. She was thick-bodied, short-legged, short-muzzled, and smaller than the others. She was easily recognized from afar.

The father was black with a yellowish vertical streak behind each shoulder. From a distance he appeared coal black except for the yellow shoulder marks, but a nearer view revealed a scattering of silver and rusty hairs, especially over the shoulders and along the sides. There was an extra fullness of the neck under the chin. He seemed more solemn than the others, but perhaps that was partly imagined by me, knowing as I did that many of the family cares rested on his shoulders. On the hunts that I observed he usually took the lead in running down caribou calves.

The other black wolf was a slender built, long-legged female. Her muzzle seemed exceptionally long, reminding me of the Little Red Riding Hood illustrations. Her neck was not as thick as that of the black male. This female had no young in 1940, but had her own family in 1941.

What appeared to be the largest wolf was a tall, rangy male with a long silvery mane and a dark mantle over the back and part way down over the sides. He seemed to be the lord and master of the group although he was not mated to any of the females. The other wolves approached this one with some diffidence, usually cowering before him. He deigned to wag his tail only after the others had done so. He was also the dandy in appearance. When trotting off for a hunt his tail waved jauntily and there was a spring and sprightly spirit in his step. The excess energy at times gave him a rocking-horse gallop quite different from that of any of the others.

The other gray male at the den I called "Grandpa" in my notes. He was a rangy wolf of a nondescript color. There were no distinctive markings, but he moved as though he were old and a little stiff. Sometimes he had sore feet which made him limp. From all appearances he was an old animal, although in this I may be mistaken.

One of the grays that joined the group in late July was a large male with a light face except for a black robber's mask over the eyes. His chest was conspicuously white. He moved with much spring and energy. The black mask was distinctive and recognizable from a distance.

The other wolf, which joined the group in August, was a huge gray animal with a light yellowish face. In 1941 he was mated to the small black female which had no young the preceding year.

Figure 7: Wolf portraits.

Figure 8: Wolf portraits.

All these wolves could be readily distinguished within the group but some of the less distinctively marked ones might have been confused among a group of strange wolves. The black-faced gray female, the robber-masked male, and the black-mantled male were so characteristically marked that they could be identified in a large company.

I suppose that some of the variability exhibited in these wolves could have resulted from crossings in the wild with dogs. Such crosses in the wild have been reported and the wolf in captivity crosses readily with dogs. Some years ago at Circle, Alaska, a wolf hung around the settlement for some time and some of the dogs were seen with it. The people thought that the wolf was a female attracted to the dogs during the breeding period. However, considerable variability is probably inherent in the species, enough perhaps to account for the variations noted in the park and in skins examined. The amount of crossing with dogs has probably not been sufficient to alter much the genetic composition of the wolf population.

Activity at the Den.—Many hours were spent watching the wolves at the den and yet when I undertake to write about it there does not seem to be a great deal to relate, certainly not an amount commensurate with the time spent observing these animals. There were some especially exciting and interesting incidents such as the times when the grizzlies invaded, and a strange wolf was driven away. The departure for the night hunt and the reactions of the wolves to caribou were always of interest. These special incidents are described on pages 43 and 204. But the routine activity at the den was unexciting and quiet. For 3 or 4 hours at a time there might not be a stir. Yet it was an inexhaustible thrill to watch the wolves simply because they typify the wilderness so completely.

The periods of watching were sufficiently long to yield behavior data of statistical value. I believe that the routine activity at this den was fairly well known.

Just as a laboring husband comes home to the family each evening after working all day, so do the wolves come home each morning after working all night. The wolf comes home tired, too, for he has traveled far in his hunting. Ten or fifteen miles is a usual jaunt for a hunt, and he generally takes part in some chases in which he exerts himself tremendously. His travels take him up and down many slopes and ridges. When he arrives at the den he flops, relaxes completely, and may not even change his position for 3 or 4 hours. Often he may not even raise his head to look around for intruders. Sometimes he may stretch and yawn, change his position, or shift his bed a few yards. Usually in summer he lies stretched out on his side, but occasionally may be curled up as in winter. Frequently a wolf will move over to a neighbor, perhaps sniff of him, getting for a response only a lazy indication of recognition by an up-and-down wag of the tail, and lie down near him. An animal may move from the point of the bluff down to the gravel bar, or while the overflow ice still remains on the bars, he may lie in the snow for a while. When the caribou grazed near the den a wolf might raise up a bit for a look, but generally a caribou was not sufficient reason for him to disturb his resting The female may be inside the den, or on the outside, for hours at a time. The five adults might be sleeping a few hundred yards apart or three or four of them might be within a few yards of each other. Of course all the adults were not always at home, one or two might be out for a short day light excursion or fail to come home after the night hunt. That, in brief, is the routine activity at the den.

The first few weeks the gray female spent much time in the den with the pups, both during the day and at night. When she was outside she usually lay only a few yards from the entrance, although she sometimes wandered off as far as half a mile to feed on cached meat. When the rest of the band was off on the night hunt she remained at home, except on three occasions that I know of—June 1, June 8, and June 16. Each time she went off with the band she ran as though she were in high spirits, seeming happy to be off on an expedition with the others. On these three occasions the black female remained through the night with the pups.

The father and the black female were seen to enter the den when the pups were only a couple of weeks old. Later, when the pups were old enough to toddle about outside, the father and the two females were very attentive to them. The two gray males often sniffed at the pups which frequently crawled over all five wolves in their play. Sometimes the pups played so much around an adult that it would move away to a safe distance where it could rest in greater peace.

The attentiveness of the black female to the pups was remarkable. It seemed at times that she might have produced some of them and I do not absolutely know that she did not. But her absence from the den the first 10 days (so far as I know), the uniformity in the size of the pups, and the greater concern and responsibility exhibited by the gray female, strongly indicates that the gray one had produced all the pups. The companionship of these two adults suggests that two females might at times den together, although having pups in one den would be somewhat in convenient. Rather, one would expect them to den near each other as these two females did in 1941.

Wolves have few enemies and consequently are frequently not very watchful at the den or elsewhere. Often I approached surprisingly close to the wolf band before being discovered. Several times I was practically in the midst of the band before I was noticed. Once, after all the others had run off, one which must have been sound asleep got up behind me and in following the others passed me at a distance of only about 30 yards. These wolves were scarcely molested during the course of the study, so they may have been less watchful than in places where they are hunted. But their actions were probably normal for primitive conditions. When alert their keen eyes do not miss much.

Before the vegetation changed from brown to green the gray wolves, when curled up or when only the back showed, were especially difficult to see against the brown background. But if they were stretched out so as to expose the light under parts they were plainly visible. The black ones were usually more conspicuous but under certain conditions of poor light or dark backgrounds the gray wolves were the more conspicuous. At the den all the wolves were sometimes difficult to see because of slight depressions in which they lay, and the hummocks hiding them. Once when all five adults were lying on the open tundra slope above the den not one could be seen from my lookout. Often only two or three of the five could be seen until some movement showed the position of the others.

The strongest impression remaining with me after watching the wolves on numerous occasions was their friendliness. The adults were friendly toward each other and were amiable towards the pups, at least as late as October. This innate good feeling has been strongly marked in the three captive wolves which I have known. Undoubtedly, however, wolves sometimes have their quarrels.

Food Brought to the Den.—It is likely that all the wolves brought food to the East Fork den. It was necessary to bring food for the pups, and for the female remaining with them. The gray female, the black male, and the mantled male were all observed carrying food. Some of the food was brought directly to the den where the young were often seen feeding on it. Much of it was cached 100 or 200 yards away, and some of it as much as a half mile away. The wolf remaining at home during the night was seen to go out to these food caches, and occasionally one of the other wolves might eat a little from them during the day. The wolves that hunted probably ate their fill near the kill.

Relatively few bone remains were to be found at any of the dens. At the Lower Toklat den, there was the skin of a marmot, four calf caribou legs, leg bones of an adult caribou, and 300 yards away the head of a cow caribou. Remains, mainly hair, of an adult caribou were found on the bar about a quarter of a mile from this den. At the East Fork den there were scarcely any bones around the den after the family left, and there were only a few where they lived after leaving the den. At this den, where the food was mainly calf caribou, probably most of the long bones were eaten. Former Ranger Swisher told me that at a den he had found several years ago there were a number of legs of mountain sheep.

Departure for the Night Hunt.—There was considerable variation in the time of departure for the night hunt. On a few occasions the wolves left as early as 4 p. m., and again they had not left at 9 or 9:30 p. m. They were seen departing for the hunt 11 times. Five of these times they left between 4 p. m. and 5:45 p. m., and six times they left between 7 p. m. and 9:30 p. m. Usually the hunting group consisted of the three males, but sometimes one of the females was in the group. The wolves hunted in a variety of combinations—singly, in pairs, or all together. In the fall the adults and young traveled together much of the time, forming a pack of seven adults and five pups.

Usually the wolves returned to the den each morning, but three wolves which left the den at 4 p. m. on May 26 had not returned to the den the following day by 8 p. m. when I left the lookout, after watching all night and all day. The wolves had probably spent the day near the scene of their hunt. These wolves were again at the den on May 28.

Considerable ceremony often precedes the departure for the hunt. Usually there is a general get-together and much tail wagging. On May 31 I left the lookout at 8:30 p. m. since the wolves seemed, after some indications of departure, to have settled down again. But as I looked back from the river bar on my way to camp I saw the two blacks and the two gray males assembled on the skyline, wagging their tails and frisking together. There they all howled, and while they howled the gray female galloped up from the den 100 yards and joined them. She was greeted with energetic tail wagging and general good feeling. Then the vigorous actions came to an end, and five muzzles pointed skyward. Their howling floated softly across the tundra. Then abruptly the assemblage broke up. The mother returned to the den to assume her vigil and four wolves trotted eastward into the dusk.

On June 2 some restlessness was evident among the wolves at 3:50 p. m. The two gray males and the black male approached the den where the black female and some pups were lying. Then the black male lay down near the den; the mantled male walked down on the flat 100 yards away and lay down, and Grandpa, following him, continued along the bar another 150 yards before he lay down. At 6:43 p. m. the mantled male sat on his haunches and howled three times, and in a few minutes he sent forth two more long mournful howls. Grandpa stood up and with the mantled male trotted a few steps toward five passing caribou. Then the mantled male howled six or seven times, twice while lying down. The gray female trotted to the gray males, and the three of them stood together wagging their tails in the most friendly fashion. The mantled one howled and they started up the slope. But before going more than 200 yards they lay down again. A few minutes later, at 7:15 p. m., the mantled male howled a few times and walked to the den followed by Grandpa. The latter seemed ready to go whenever anyone decided to be on the move. At the den the black female squirmed and crouched before the mantled male, placing both her paws around his neck as she crouched in front of him. This hugging with the front paws is not an uncommon action.

Figure 9: "All together."

Later the two gray males and both black wolves were in a huddle near the den entrance, vigorously wagging their tails and pressing against each other. The gray female joined them from up the slope and the tail wagging became more vigorous and there was a renewed activity of friendliness. At 7:30 p. m. the mantled male descended the slope to the bar and started to trot away. He was shortly followed by the black male and Grandpa. The black female followed the departing males to the bar, then returned to the gray female at the den. Both females remained at the den this time.

On June 8 at 7:15 p. m. Grandpa approached the mantled male, wagging his tail. The mantled male stood stiffly erect and wagged his tail slowly, with a show of dignity. The two walked over to one of the blacks and lay down. The mantled male turned twice around like a dog, before lying down, then rose and turned around again before settling down.

There was no movement until 9 p. m., when Grandpa rose, shook himself, and walked over to the mantled male. They wagged tails and were joined in the ceremony by the black female. The mantled male sniffed at the black male who was still resting. He rose and the tail wagging began again. The gray female hurried down the slope to the others and the tail wagging became increasingly vigorous. The friendly display lasted 7 or 8 minutes and, led by Grandpa, who seemed specially spry this evening, they started eastward. The black female followed a short distance, then stopped and watched them move away. A quarter of a mile farther on the four wolves commenced to play on the green flat. The black female trotted rapidly to them and joined in the play. After a few minutes of pushing and hugging the four again started off, this time abreast, spaced about 50 to 75 yards apart. The black female followed for a short distance and lay down. She appeared anxious to follow. After 15 minutes she returned to the den, and two or three pups came out to join her.

The gray female at first led the wolves up the long slope toward Sable Pass, but later the two gray males were in front, running parallel about 200 yards apart. They trotted most of the time, but galloped up some of the steeper slopes. On a snow field they stopped for a time to frolic. The black female remained at the den all night. The hunters returned at 9:15 the following morning. The gray female hurried unhesitatingly to the burrow, like a mother who has been absent from her child for a few hours. The black male flopped over on his side a short distance from the den and lay perfectly still and relaxed. About 1 mile north of the den the mantled male was stretched out on his side on a high point. The wolves had been away on the hunt about 12 hours.

At 4 p. m. on June 16 the two gray males, the black male, and the gray female left the den, led by the mantled male. Soon the female took the lead and she headed for a spot where some eagles were feeding. She nearly captured one of the eagles by jumping high in the air after it as it took off. These wolves went directly to Teklanika River some 7 or 8 miles from the den.

It was evident that by evening the wolves were rested and anxious to be off for the night hunting. The time of their departure for the hunt no doubt varied from day to day depending somewhat upon how soon they came in from the previous night's expedition. Theirs is not a lazy life for the nature of their food demands that they travel long distances and work hard for it, but they seem to enjoy their nightly excursions.

The Family Leaves the Den.—The extended wanderings of the pups below the den on the river bar, early in July, indicated that the family might soon move away. I had refrained from approaching close enough for taking pictures, but with their departure seemingly imminent I made a careful stalk to the bank opposite the den on July 8. I was a day late, for although I waited until evening not a wolf was seen.

In the evening I looked over at the den from Polychrome Pass. At 8 p. m. the mantled male came from the direction of Sable Pass. He stopped several times near the den and appeared to be howling but he was too far away to be heard. He moved to a knoll south of the den and sniffed about in a short ravine where the pups had often been seen. It appeared that the family had moved during his absence. He dropped down to the bar and followed southward along the bank for a half mile, then abruptly turned and climbed the bank at a gallop. Above, on the sloping tundra, he joined the female and the pups and for a time they wagged tails and romped together. The days at the den were over.

The following morning, July 9, I walked up the river past the wolf den and across the broad level bar covered with grass and dryas, toward the spot where I had seen the wolf family the previous evening. The gray female and both black wolves were with the pups and saw me when I came in view around the point on which the den is located. They sat on their haunches watching my approach. There had been no chance to make a stalk so I continued forward, hoping that the wolves would stay close enough to the pups to permit me to take some pictures. After watching me advance for about 200 yards the three adults ran up the long open slope, stopping at intervals to bark and howl. The black male, after angling up the slope, galloped along the hill in my direction, keeping his elevation above me and frequently stopping to bark. I continued forward and passed the three wolves which were now barking at me from directly up the slope. The gray female joined the black male, but the black female moved higher up. When I was almost opposite and within about a quarter of a mile of the pups (they had taken refuge in a burrow 10 feet long and open at both ends) the black male galloped down the slope to the bar, followed closely by the gray female. They came out on my trail and headed directly into the wind toward me at a gallop. The female took the lead and with noses to the ground they came on at a rapid, brisk trot. I set up the movie camera and saw them in the finder, running silently and swiftly. Their purposefulness and intent manner worried me some, and I began to wonder if they would turn aside. They were accustomed to seeing people, so lacked the timidity of most wolves. I wondered if the two grays and the other black might not join the two coming toward me. Generally I carried an automatic pistol in my packsack, and as I had not checked on the matter before starting out, I now hurriedly looked and was relieved to find it was there. By that time the wolves were about 100 yards away and, circling to one side, they commenced to bark. The female passed me and the male remained on the other side. Both continued howling and barking, about 200 yards away. After exposing my film I walked down the bar. The female remained opposite the pups, howling at intervals, and the male kept abreast of me for a half mile as I went down the bar to camp. The black female remained on the slope, howling. When I returned to the spot an hour and a half later with more film, the wolves had all departed. The pups were not seen again until August 22, when they were found about 5 miles away. The adults in the interim were often seen, but the pups were not traveling with them. They apparently were at some rendezvous.

A Group of Adults Observed on July 30.—At 6 a. m. on July 30 deep howling was heard a short distance above our camp. With my camera I hurried toward the sound and came upon the mantled male on the flat below Sable Mountain. Presently he was joined by the gray female and Grandpa. They howled together and were answered by a wolf farther up the gentle slope. The three wolves moved nearer the base of Sable Mountain, where they joined the black-masked wolf. They lay on the tundra, in a depression just sufficiently deep to hide them from me.

Later the black male came from the west and joined them. His coming was heralded by the loud chirping of the ground squirrels all along his route. The black male walked slowly to the mantled male and was surrounded by the other wolves, all wagging their tails. The black male walked about 30 yards away and they all lay down again. Later they stood up and after some more friendly tail wagging lay down.

Early in the afternoon Ranger Harold Herning and I advanced cautiously toward the band for pictures, taking advantage of the shallow swale below the animals. We were about 100 yards from them when we noticed the black male peering over the rise and saw him trot to one side and watch us. The others, who had not seen us, trotted over to the black male. There was a slight altercation accompanied by a little growling and snarling when they came together. Grandpa lay down, but about that time all the wolves saw us. They watched us for a few seconds before trotting up the slope, still not much afraid. They continued over a rise and disappeared up the mouth of a short canyon. When we came in view again they were moving slowly up the canyon. Near its head they laboriously climbed a steep rock slope, using a switch-back technique. On top they followed the ridge along the sky line for some time before disappearing.

The black female was absent from the group; she probably was with the pups. The band was resting up for the night hunt and may not have been far from the pups. From this time on the black-masked male was frequently with the band.

The Pups Found Again.—On August 22, on the flat below Polychrome Pass, the pups were seen for the first time since they left the den on July 9, although some of the adults had frequently been seen. The wolves seemed to have been attracted to this vicinity by the refuse from a nearby road camp. The men at the road camp had been hearing the wolves howling for several nights so the family probably had been headquartering there for a few days before I saw them.

At 4 p. m. a wolf howled three times from a point southeast of the refuse heap, and an hour later the gray female, followed by a pup, appeared from behind a bench. She apparently was on her way to the refuse heap. Out on the flat the mantled male walked slowly into view from behind the same bench, followed by two black pups 100 yards to the rear. He walked slowly, with head down and tail held horizontally. Some distance to the west the two adults met and moved westward. The pups did not follow but returned to the east and lay down in sight of us.

The following day, with two companions I returned to Polychrome Pass and saw the wolves lying on the tundra among the dwarf birches and short willows. As we watched, a large gray wolf with a light face walked toward the others. He looked over the flat where the other wolves rested and lay down on the bench a short distance from them. This gray wolf was the second addition, so there were now seven adults in the band.

We stalked the wolves, coming first to the large gray one on the bench. He rose 50 yards or so ahead of us and loped away toward the others on the flat and aroused them. They ran off from in front of us, all headed southward. I hurried over the flat to get a picture of a black pup which was standing uncertainly watching the others run. While I was photographing the pup the mantled male got up behind me a short distance and ran close past me between me and my companions. He must have been sound asleep to be aroused so tardily. Five of the adults and some of the pups stopped on a knoll about a mile away. The parents hung back, barking at us, probably solicitous over some of the pups which had been left some distance behind. When I walked toward them they barked and howled and those on the knoll howled in the usual mournful chorus. Soon the parents hurried to join the others. The pups in the rear must have caught up with the band by this time. The green grass at the base of a bench near the place where the wolves had been lying was flattened and much worn, showing that the wolves had spent much time there. The bones of a fresh front leg of a large caribou were noted nearby, and several droppings were found.

Some Activities Observed September 17.—On September 17 the family was seen again on the flat below Polychrome Pass. At 8 a. m. three pups trotted briskly down a gravel bar. They stopped at one spot and sniffed zealously, apparently in search of morsels where they had feasted during the night. Nothing was there except rich sniffing. They climbed a bluff above the bar, scared an eagle from its perch, and sniffed about on a point of rock. They returned to the bar and hurried to the gray female and the black-masked male who were lying within a few feet of each other. The mantled male had just lain down on a bench above these two and was hidden in the dwarf birch. The three black pups, now almost the size of their mother, swarmed all over her, and later touched noses with the black-masked male who had joined the band after the pups left the den.

The mother led the way to the base of a bench and there uncovered some morsels of food which were at once eaten by the pups. They resumed their play all over the mother, after which they all lay down near the black-masked male, forming a circle. Another black pup who had been off by itself hunting mice approached the group and smelled of the black-masked male who sniffed at it, causing it to roll over on its back with diffidence. The pup then smelled of each of the others, who barely noticed the salutation by raising the nose a trifle. A yellow pup who had been hunting mice also joined the group. It first smelled noses with the black-masked male, who raised his nose to it and as he lay flat on his side, wagged his tail a few times. Then the pup, wagging its tail all the while, sniffed noses with each of the other pups, who were stretched out flat. The mother now trotted a mile to the east on some errand and returned a couple of hours later.

In the afternoon, some of the pups hunted mice. At 4 p. m. they all moved a mile out on the fiat and lay down. An hour later grandpa showed up, sniffed around where the wolves had been resting, and continued southward on their trail.

Family Moves 20 Miles From Polychrome.—The wolf family was seen at Polychrome Pass on September 22, 23, and 24. But on September 28 it had moved to a point on Teklanika River 20 miles away.

My attention was first attracted by the yellow pup which disappeared in a fringe of trees. Later I heard the howling of several wolves and saw the yellow pup trot in the direction of the sound and join the four black pups. Soon they all galloped out of sight. I advanced cautiously and came upon the five pups, their parents, and grandpa, 140 yards from me. I exposed some motion-picture film, then dropped out of view to change film. While I was thus occupied they all howled and there was considerable barking which resembled the yapping of coyotes. When I again peered over the rise all but the black male were moving away with much tail wagging and milling around. The black male saw me and trotted after the others, and all disappeared around the base of a low ridge. On my way back to the road I met the other four adults heading toward the spot where the wolves had howled. Apparently they had heard the noise too. The mantled male was quite surprised when he saw me 150 yards away and made several high jumps with head turned toward me. They all stopped to watch me, then slowly trotted on around the ridge after the others. This was about 9:30 a. m.; at 3 p. m. I found all the wolves resting near the base of a long slope about a mile away. They saw me approach in the distance and moved up the slope a short way from where they watched me. The following day I saw the band 4 miles to the north but I was unable to stalk them.

Figure 10: "Siesta."

The East Fork Family Still Together March 17.—Although tracks, presumably of the East Fork family, had been seen during the winter, the wolves had escaped observation. But on March 17 I came unexpectedly upon the band at Savage River, 30 miles from the East Fork den site. I followed several fresh tracks which crossed my way and led out on an open flat where there were many bare spots made by the caribou in pawing for grass and lichens. One of the many spots appeared a little different than the others so I looked at it through field glasses and saw that it was a black wolf stretched out on its side. Searching the flat ahead of me, I made out two more black wolves. Off to one side of these a gray wolf sat up and, before curling up, looked about at random, without noticing me as I crouched about 300 yards away. To reach a strip of woods from where I could watch the wolves unobserved, I back-tracked cautiously but was discovered just as I was about to enter the woods. The black wolf which saw me aroused all the others when it howled. At least 10 wolves came to life and after a brief view of me hurried away, kicking up sparkling puffs of snow as they galloped.

Dispersal of young.—I have little data on the dispersal of the young. The 1940 East Fork pups remained with the pack through the first winter until at least March 17, 1941, the last date I saw the pack together. On May 14 one of the pups was seen 2 miles from the den, and 3 days later another was seen at a similar distance from the old home. This was the last time I saw the 1940 pups. None of these young was ever seen at the 1941 den. Some of them may have been trapped during the winter, but at least three or four escaped the trappers.

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Last Modified: Thurs, Dec 20 2001 10:00:00 pm PDT
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