Welcome back my curious little creatures. Today we are going to continue a series called “Not So Scary After All” where we tackle different animals that have gotten a bad rep in society that really aren’t as scary as they seem, or, in many cases, the media makes them seem. So far we have tackled Pitbulls and Sharks, so if you missed those, go back and check them out! On the myth-busting block today are wolves. From childhood, with the story of the Three Little Pigs or Red Riding Hood, we have been conditioned to fear these magnificent creatures. Let’s learn, together, why wolves aren’t so scary after all.
I guess we should start off by learning a bit of wolf history. For the purposes of this post, I will mainly be talking about the Grey Wolf as it is the more common of the two species. Historically, wolves have been found all over the world. In North America, they could be found from Alaska and arctic Canada in the north to central Mexico in the south. They were also common throughout Europe and Asia. Wolves lived in almost every environment, excluding tropical forests and arid deserts. Today, they only inhabit about one-third of their historical range.
Early humans that hunted for survival would actually follow wolves and try to imitate their behaviors when hunting. They were, and still are, the most optimal hunters of large hooved animals. The partnership between humans and wolves eventually led to the domestication of wolves, and through selective breeding, the creation of dogs. In more recent history, wolves have been seen as evil, dangerous, and something to be feared. While wolf attacks on humans are exceedingly rare (wolves tend to actively avoid contact with humans), they do occasionally attack domesticated animals, like livestock, and are seen as a competitor for big game, like elk, to those who hunt. This drastic change in the relationship between humans and wolves led to them being hunted almost to extinction in the 1900s.
In the 1960s, wolves were finally listed under the Endangered Species Act, following a rather successful campaign to eradicate them from the US left a very small population (50-60 individuals) in Michigan. In late 1994 and early 1995, wolves were captured and relocated from Canada to Yellowstone National Park. Through breeding programs, and conservation efforts, Grey wolf population numbers have flourished and they are no longer listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List.
Now let’s learn a little bit about the wolves themselves. Wolves are the largest species in the Canidae family. Canidae includes dogs, foxes, and coyotes. On average, males weigh 70-140 lbs while females weigh 60-100 lbs. They are pack animals, usually living in groups of around 6-10 individuals. They tend to roam long distances, up to 12 miles in one day, and have territories that range in size from 80 square kilometers (31 square miles) to 3,000 square kilometers (1,200 square miles). When they are successful hunting, they do not eat in moderation. An individual can eat up to 20 lbs of meat in one sitting!
One of the wolves’ most defining characteristics is its howl, and they use it for a variety of different reasons. Howls can be used to communicate with other pack members, advertise their territory to other nearby packs, and to coordinate social activities like hunting. Like their distant cousin dogs, some wolves will start howling just because another one is and they feel like joining in on the fun.
Unfortunately for wolves, the Trump administration removed federal protection for Grey wolves, instead deferring to local and state governments for management. This could potentially lead to another drastic decline in their population if they are managed poorly. But why should we care about wolves? They are scary and can eat our livestock, so why should we protect them? For one, wolves are an integral part of their ecosystems and are considered a keystone species. For example, when they were eradicated from Yellowstone National Park, they saw an exponential increase in the deer population, which in turn caused a massive depletion of vegetation. Without the wolves present to help control the deer population, they destroyed the landscape. In nature, there must be balance. Without top predators present to help control population levels of organisms down the food chain, those organisms can then unintentionally destroy the ecosystem by decimating the vegetation populations. Along with helping control population sizes, they also help cycle nutrients in the ecosystem. Leftovers from their hunts provide food for scavenger species, like vultures or coyotes, and the decaying remains put nutrients back into the soil for plants to use.
Thank you for learning with me today! Like most wild animals, wolves are powerful creatures that have the potential to cause harm, but we should not fear them. We should have a healthy dose of respect for them and their homes and avoid interacting with them when at all possible. What was your favorite thing you learned about wolves today? I know I was SHOCKED to learn that they can eat 20 lbs of meat in one sitting. That’s just bananas! Do you have any questions about wolves that I didn’t cover today? Let me know by leaving them down below! I’ll see you all Friday for another fin-tastic Finn Friday!
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