The park celebrated the 25 th anniversary of wolves turning to Yellowstone in January of 2020. Wolves were released into the GYE in the 1990s where they were protected from human infringement and allowed to repopulate. By late October, the pups begin traveling with the pack and learning to hunt.Īccording to the Yellowstone National Park website, the northern Rocky Mountain wolf (Canis lupus) was classified as an endangered species in 1972 and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem was soon designated as a recovery area. The videos were compiled throughout the spring, as litters are generally born mid-April.
#Gray wolf yellowstone series
In a series of clips, adults belonging to a group called “Mollie’s Pack” can be seen strutting past wildlife cameras with “toys” of various sizes between their teeth.
“The instinct to bring items back to the den may be reinforced by evolution, and probably helps keep adults from being mobbed by sharp puppy teeth,” said Yellowstone National Park in the post. Instead of returning home empty-handed when a hunt is unsuccessful, adult wolves can be seen in video clips returning with antlers, animal bones and sticks, presumably to serve as teething remedies for bite-y puppies. While gray wolves living in the national park don’t exactly have access to squeaky balls and pull ropes, they still enjoy something to chew on, said the national park’s post. While eager pups usually expect a meal delivery when adults return to the den with something in tow, they also accept a treat any parent knows will cheer a little one up: toys. In the video, gray wolves can be seen trotting back to their dens with gifts in-mouth. The video, shared to the national park’s Facebook page Tuesday, was recorded by Yellowstone biologists in spring of this year. We’ve all heard the adage about our snuggly pet dogs still being “wolves at heart.” While it can be easy to forget when watching our spoiled pooches enjoy fluffy beds, they are descendants of the adept hunters we still see in the wild today.Īn adorable post shared by Yellowstone National Park, however, is a reminder that our canines still have more in common with their ancestors than we give them credit for. Today, biodiversity is enriched and scavenger species reap the benefits of regular, wolf-supplied meals.Watch Video: Yellowstone wolves grab 'toys' for pups to play Insects, songbirds, fish, and amphibians thrive. Without wolves, the coyote became an apex predator, driving down populations of pronghorn antelope, red fox, and rodents, and birds that prey on small animals.Īs the wolf returns, coyote numbers drop by half, allowing antelope, rodent, and fox populations to increase.Īfter wolf reintroduction in the northern range, elk numbers drop and beaver colonies increase from 1 to 12. Many plant and animal species were affected. Massive loss of mature willows and aspens. Dams disintegrated, turning marshy ponds into streams. Various scavenger species suffered without year-round wolf kills to feed on.īeavers virtually disappeared in the northern range of Yellowstone. These trees are critical to beavers for food, shelter, and dam building. The impact is dramatic.Įlk populations exploded without wolves as their primary predator, resulting in severe overgrazing of willows and aspen. In 1995 - through use of the Endangered Species Act - the conservation community reintroduced the gray wolf to restore balance. In the 1920s, government policy allowed the extermination of Yellowstone’s gray wolf - the apex predator - triggering an ecosystem collapse known as trophic cascade.
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