Late Summer Pup Activities
In Denali and other areas, wolf pups continue to develop rapidly throughout the 4-5-month homesite period, first at the natal den, then typically at a series of “rendezvous sites” after late July. There are many opportunities for the pups to explore and learn while still at the natal den; a well established den often consists of 20-30 acres (8-12 hectares) or more of adult rest areas, pup play areas, trails, and other features in addition to the burrow complexes. While the subsequent moves to rendezvous sites (which usually are less traditional than dens and do not have burrows) seem to be motivated primarily by hunting opportunities, they are also likely to provide the pups with major new learning experiences.
The photos in this entry show three Toklat adults - the alpha pair and a young female - and three of their pups interacting with each other and a bear on August 18, at a rendezvous site on a river bar. This was Toklat’s first move from the 2008 natal den, several weeks earlier. As explained in the August 9 blog entry, pups remain dependent on the older wolves throughout the homesite period and beyond, and the older wolves usually do a phenomenal job of bringing food to them at the homesites. Note, for example, how much larger the pups are on August 18 (this entry) than on July 25 and August 3 (August 9 entry). It is possible that older wolves had already moved most of the Toklat pups to a second rendezvous site five miles (8 km) away. Only these three pups seemed to be at this site on August 18, and all of the pups and most if not all of the older wolves, including the alpha pair, were together at the second site by August 21-25.
Below: Three pups rest near their father, the alpha male (wearing a radio collar).
A young adult female, probably their yearling or 2-year-old sister, closely attended and played with the pups during most of the observation. Young adults in particular seem to enjoy playing with pups and during these interactions sometimes revert to pup-like behavior.
Two of the pups watch their mother enjoy scratching her shoulder on a willow bush as the third pup crouches (butt to the camera) while chewing on the young female (laying down).
The young female submits to the alpha male as the alpha female watches casually.
The alpha male leads the young female, pups, and alpha female on a short stroll.
When the young female opens her mouth to yawn, a pup is right there just in case she regurgitates something to eat. Later (below) a pup sees father yawn and immediately does the same. Adults sometimes regurgitate at intervals up to hours after returning from a successful hunt, and the pups learn to be vigilant for these opportunities (see Aug 9 entry).
The young adult female watches over the three pups...
... then gnaws on an old caribou antler with them.
Above and left: Two of the pups explore along a side channel of the river.
Below (2 photos): A grizzly bear crosses to the wolves’ side of the main river channels and ignores them while digging pea-vine (vetch) roots, a late-summer delicacy. Two of the wolf pups approach to within 100 feet (30 m) and watch the bear intently for about 20 minutes; they seem fascinated. The bear could cover the distance to them within seconds but continues to ignore all of the wolves.
Below, a view from the opposite direction: Behind the two pups, near the upper right corner of the photo, the young female is playing with the third pup. The alpha male is laying down in willows somewhat below the upper left corner of the photo - just his head is visible, as he keeps a casual watch on the bear. The alpha female is resting near him, out of view. Were the bear to make a move for the pups, he would be there almost instantly. Perhaps his own early experience with bears was involved in allowing his pups a front-row seat for this bear show. As a pup of the same age in August 2003, he “chased” a grizzly bear for several hundred yards (m), by himself, when the bear finally left a mostly eaten caribou kill that the older wolves had been trying to appropriate. It was only after his obviously alarmed mother ran after him that he stopped pursuing. The bear ignored him, about 75 feet (23 m) behind, while continuing to leave the area.
Below (3 photos) and top of page: One of the pups engages in some vigorous play-fighting with the young adult female. Pups of this age are not reluctant to play rough with their older siblings, especially in a case such as this where the female seems to be enjoying it.
Sep 22, 2008
Several of the Toklat pups play with a young adult female at a late summer rendezvous site in Denali National Park, about a mile (1.6 km) from the natal den. The Toklat family moved to this site three weeks earlier. August 18, 2008.