Growing Wolf Pups
It is now more than halfway through the busy homesite period for the Denali wolves. The pups are still completely dependent but just in the last month and a half have more than doubled in size. Provisioning this growth is hard work for the older wolves. They depart from the den or rendezvous site sometimes in groups, often individually, forage up to 10-20 miles (16-30 km) away, and return in a day or two, usually bringing something back for the pups in their stomachs - to be regurgitated - or jaws. Then after perhaps 8-10 hours of rest, it is back out again. Like spokes on a wheel, their forays radiate in many directions. The homesite is a veritable beehive of activity, the hub where little mouths are always waiting to be fed and hunters regularly come and go.
Left and below left. A Toklat adult, probably an older sibling, enjoys some relaxed moments with the 2008 pups (2 are outside the photo). July 25, 2008.
Successful hunters return with various prey items in their stomachs, from combinations of small mammals and birds to caribou or moose meat (sheep are uncommon prey in the summer). When hunters kill a caribou or moose, they usually come back with sides bulging like a barrel. They also carry carcass portions in their jaws, including fore- or hindquarters, heads, and, in the case of a young calf, the entire animal, testifying to their powerful neck and jaw muscles.
A kill can mean numerous trips back and forth from the den or rendezvous site, though after mid-late July, the adults might also move the pups to a kill that is not too far away and does not require crossing a major river. One of the more intriguing aspects of this behavior concerns the way the wolves communicate information about some kills. For example, years ago a radio-collared Toklat hunter killed a caribou by himself while other adults rested at the den, eight miles (13 km) away. After returning to the den and regurgitating for the pups, the first wolf rested. With the first wolf still resting at the den, several other adults (including one collared) soon departed and went straight to the kill, likewise returning eventually to provision the pups. The adults at the den understood that there was more to be transported from where the first load originated and pinpointed the location eight miles away, perhaps by back-scenting the first wolf’s route.
Above and left: Two Toklat pups study the circling airplane ... and another studies a bug. July 25 and August 3, 2008.
Pups mob returning hunters. They leap and nibble excitedly at a hunter’s mouth and nose, triggering regurgitation of whatever is in the stomach. This usually comes out with a chunky consistency, sort of reminding me of the warm, chunky tuna sauce I used to look forward to on toast as a kid. When a hunter comes back with sides bulging, the result can be several piles up to 10-20 pounds (4-9 kg) each. These disappear in seconds, and sometimes a pup sticks its mouth inside the hunter’s mouth and intercepts some of the goodies before they hit the ground. With 4-8 pups competing, it is impressive that litters of this age and older typically enjoy high survival and the pups are usually all about the same size.
Occasionally, returning hunters regurgitate over a period of several hours, coughing up a pile or two initially, then again with continued food-begging from pups much later. The pups can be quite insistent at this age, such that adults with nothing more to regurgitate must sometimes reprimand them, usually with a harmless - albeit scary - growl, snap, and by briefly pinning one or more to the ground in open jaws. Learning discipline is an important part of growing up for wolf pups, just as it is for human children.
Above and left. A Toklat pup contemplates a food-begging “attack” on an adult, who apparently doesn’t have anything to regurgitate. The adult tries to ignore the pup’s advances. Later, the same adult loses patience with an insistent black pup and reprimands the pup by briefly pinning it to the ground. July 25, 2008.
Left and below (2 photos): Toklat pups and their father, the alpha male, interact in a relaxed manner. He returned from a hunt earlier in the day and apparently has nothing more to regurgitate for the pups at this time. July 25, 2008.
Left and below (2 photos):
A Toklat pup approaches father and mildly food begs, but he does not regurgitate. The pup’s bulging belly suggests that he fed the pups well when he returned from the hunt earlier in the day. July 25, 2008.
Above: A Toklat pup somewhat timidly approaches its resting mother, the alpha female. In general, the pups are less likely to get pushy with either of their parents than with the other adults, who are mostly older siblings. Below: Two of the seven Toklat pups at rest. August 3, 2008.
Aug 9, 2008
Three of seven 10-11-week-old 2008 Toklat pups run to an adult, who they hope will regurgitate something for them. Successful hunters returning to a den or rendezvous site usually bring food back in their stomaches and cough it out in piles for the pups. July 25, 2008.