The Predatory Wolf Pack Of Yellowstone National Park | White Wolf Documentary

a lone female wolf trots along a road in Yellowstone National Park she's seeking a territory and a mate that black male wolf she mated with last winter she had a pup by him but she raised it in her parents pack until disaster struck last Autumn a neighboring wolf pack killed her parents the white haen female and her mate this wolf escaped but her sister fled Yellowstone with this Wolf's pup and the remaining pack members she grew up in Yellowstone's Lush Hayden Valley between Yellowstone Canyon and Yellowstone Lake for two years in her parents' pack this wolf received an education in survival she learned to hunt with her pack and to defend their food from the Bears that so often steal wolf kills she helped raise her own black pup and those of her mother then trouble came with a competing wolf pack the Molly's pack she carries her mother's jeans for a white coat she's rare Among Wolves becoming the next white wolf of the Yellowstone Canyon pack [Music] but one wolf doesn't make a pack it starts with [Music] two and today she has picked up the scent of other wolves she's calling for her kind if a pack answers with a territorial howl she'll keep silent and leave but white wolf wolf has found just what she's been looking for a male wolf this wolf will be called gry Hunter in the weeks that follow he will distinguish himself as the Pack's gray Hunter but white Wolf's important find is one of gry Hunter's Brothers he's the black wolf she mated with last year later he will be radio collared and become wolf 712 the collared Gray dominates is a third brother big gray white wolf and 712 wag their taals High the sign they will be the breeding or Alpha pair of the new Canyon pack 712 and his brothers are former Molly's wolves the pack that killed white Wolf's parents but for this generation those rivalries are forgotten white wolf and 712 have have found each other just in time for Mating Season female wolves can only mate for a week or so when she is ready she averts her tail so that he will know 712 makes it clear to grey Hunter that he cannot Court White Wolf even though they are brothers they are also competitors there can only be one alpha male the alpha pair are tied together in the mating process but grey Hunter keeps trying white wolf may have chosen 712 over his brothers because his dark color could be an advantage to their pups researchers have learned that pups from one gray and one black parent have a stronger immune system so Yellowstone wolves often breed with a wolf of the opposite color after the tie breaks gry Hunter still follows white wolf big gray howls for the pack white wolf and 712 [Music] answer as grey Hunter returns from hunting white wolf Waits with high expectations because the males will be responsible for feeding her in the first weeks of Denning she waits to see what he brings but this time grey Hunter has no food to share white wolf tugs at grey Hunter's rough as if to let him know he's come up short his tail drops he seems to take her meaning several otter families share this Riverside With The Wolves too wolves bring food and Bone toys to the pups while otters create icy slides down the hillside for OTS this is the most efficient way to [Music] travel occasionally wolves kill otters but ordinarily the two species coexist in early spring elk returned to Hayden Valley the herds leave every winter to avoid the heavy snows and severe temperatures of higher elevations the return of elk means food for the canyon pack they've made a kill Ravens and an eagle arrive to share the kill as they always do white wolf will carry meat to her pups at the den she'll regurgitate it as a slightly digested meal for [Music] them spring continues to push into Yellowstone in Hayden Valley where the snow May linger until late May white wolf now has given birth to two gray [Music] Puffs but in spring and summer the seasons when wolf Puffs need lots of nutrition most elk move to higher elevations such as the Pack's home territory Hayden Valley so they will need to return there too the canyon pair white wolf and 712 begin to move their pups 40 Mi South wolves often choose dens near a downfall but the move is made by using several temporary dens along the way one of the temporary shelters is an old Culver it is still some distance from Hayden Valley and so will be only temporary for the [Music] pups 712 seems Restless he wants to get his pups into a better Den one that is warmer and more secure 712 has brought food in his belly he regurgitates meat and the two scarf it down 712 attempts to pick up one of the pups usually a mother wolf is the only one who carries the pups when moving the den but eventually 712 will help with the move and carry a pup he begins moving his letter to a third Den in Hayden Valley followed by white [Music] wolf throughout most of the Year bison Cals and young bulls live with the cows and large herds the broad Yellowstone River is easily crossed by these excellent swimmers water is shed with high kicks and a leaping run small groups of mature bulls live separately from larger groups of cows and caves in late summer bison begin their rut or Mating Season male bison rejoin the cow herds they compete for the chance to breed the females old companions now become rivals [Music] a 2,000lb bull is a serious and dangerous [Music] adversary the fights can be deadly a bison gored in a fight may end up dying of his injuries thus providing food for wolves and [Music] bears during the night a bull has died from injuries sustained in a fight a grizzly bear has found the dead bison the bear as usual takes command of the carcass which the wolves have killed the bull weighed 2,000 lb when alive though the bear weighs no more than 700 lb he uses leverage and powerful muscle to turn the carcass the Bear's presence forces the canion pack to wait before they can feed the carcass attracts a surprise visitor the large black wolf with a radio collar is the alpha male from the Molly's pack he is also the father of 712 and big gray so the two males do not attack him as they would an outsider however the addition of the large black wolf is no help in running off the grizzly the two brothers of the canyon pack have not been with amal's pack for six months the male still show submission to the newcomer big Gray's quickness allows him to steal a scrap before the grizzly is on him in the heat of the day a bear will usually r Treat to rest in the shade of the forest white wolf does not rebuff the Molly's wolf even though he's one of the wolves that killed her parents she communicates her willingness to be courted by the intruding male she holds her tail High such communication can save a smaller Wolf's life they Court momentarily then it's off to the den with a load of bison meat in their stomachs The Green Grass of Summer has turned gold in Hayden Valley by September the wolves are no longer using using a den for their pups grey Hunter places his paw over white wolf it could be an affectionate gesture or it may canote dominance or courting the members of the pack must bond with each other if it is going to remain a stable pack at times white wolf seems to flirt with each of the brothers mating is a straightforward biological function there are no moral judgments in this process though it is a right reserved to the alpha pair only one of the Culvert pups has survived he joins the socializing adults learning the ways of the wolf researchers find that packs with more male wolves have a better chance of winning in a clash with another pack white wolf has seen how wrong things can go in a conflict she saw her parents killed in a battle with a Molly's pack wolves are constantly reinforcing their social bonds mostly wolves depend on getting along a bull has died from long festering injuries sustained during the ruding season a coyote feeds unaware of the approaching wolf pack coyotes are always a target for wolves 712 leads the charge but white wolf is lighter and faster than the [Music] male they will run down and kill the the smaller canid if they can catch [Music] it the young pup stays back with a carcass the pack runs in to claim their prize and immediately begin to feed on the carcass they never know when a Grizzly might arrive this grizzly shows the signs of many encounters with other large Bears tattered and missing ears being the evidence but he is still powerful and takes over their kill even in packs the wolves are no match for large Grizzlies eventually the Wolves [Music] [Music] leave grey Hunter tests a cal her calf wolves Chase and bite at prey to discover their Fitness if an animal is sick injured or malnourished wolves know they may have a chance of taking it down knowing when to quit is important though so that wolves don't burn precious calories trying for Elk that are too strong experienced cows employ several strategies to throw off the wolves like like running into a swift River 712 gives up on the hunt in October snows come to Hayden Valley before the first snows at lower elevations as the ALK leave the valley white wolf leads her pack North toward the Mammoth Hot Springs area the brothers follow big gray 7 12 and grey Hunter a journey of 40 m the pack lingers near roaring Mountain south of their destination the hissing ferals are quieter now than they were a century ago here elk herds also pause before moving North a lone pup doesn't have siblings to challenge and test his growing muscles and reflexes white wolf steps into the roll she seems to be a patient mother and to enjoy the game as much as he does though occasionally she shows her teeth to back him off perhaps he nips too hard grey Hunter pursues a lone cow elk another cow and her calf huddle together in the lake when the elk plunges into the water she is submerged merged in freezing surroundings temperatures in the 30s at first glance the cow with a calf might seem an obvious choice for grey Hunter he could distract the mother and get the calf instead he focuses on the lone cow the cow must leave the lake or she may suffer hypothermia on land the wolves attack gry Hunter follows her along the bank forcing her to stay in the frigid water as she swims past we see that she has a swollen jaw wol exploit any defect or vulnerability in the elk this is why grey Hunter concentrates on the lone cow ignoring the cow calf pair this game has gone on for over an hour the cow makes one last effort to escape the freezing water grey Hunter sees his chance [Music] the Wolves pursue the cow and kill her in the [Music] trees white wolf howls to Rally the rest of the pack thanks to grey Hunter the pack now feeds again along with her pup white wolf plays with grey Hunter the pup finds an opening to attack the flanks of his distracted mother these are the jaw Bones from the dead elk clearly the left side of the jaw is badly deformed the wolves are keenly alert to any elk with a defect in early September the elk herds begin the Autumn [Music] [Applause] rut by the end of October exhausted Bulls may not recover well enough to endure winter stresses weakened Bulls Bulls can fall prey to wolves the canyon pack has killed a bull elk during the night but once again a bear has stolen the Pack's carcass the bear hovers over the carcass ready to defend it he's covered it with grass typical of bears claiming that this carcass is now [Music] his white wolf avoids a charge but the bear will not be driven from this [Music] carcass the pack is hungry so they linger looking for an opening grey Hunter chews on a stray bone as a hungry pup [Music] approaches helpless in the face of the bear the Wolves Mill around once he steals a carcass A Bear spends a lot of time keeping everyone off it the Wolves give up the grizzly is left to defend his stolen prey against other scavengers Ravens Ravens bedevil the bear they are quick wited and agile the bear is in hyperphase a Feeding Frenzy to put on enough fat before his winter hibernation [Music] other animals are on the Move Bohemian wax wings flock up and fly to lower elevations for the winter even in the bird World individuals can show [Music] aggressiveness the canyon pack is reduced to their original members the three brothers and white wolf the lone surviving pup has gone missing he seemed healthy when last seen usually about 50% of the new pups survive into their first winter his loss is a mystery the canyon pack is on the move again in the endless pursuit of food any pack that lives in Hayden must solve the problem of getting prey in [Music] winter white wolf pushes North through Swan Lake Flats Beneath The Majestic electric Peak finally the canyon pack arrives in the manth H Springs [Music] area whitewolf has traveled many of the park roads and some of those lead to wintering Elk there is less snow here here so many of the Park's elk will winter here the alpha female of the quadrant Mountain pack is another of the rare white wolves she tests a cow the wolf's strategy is to provoke Panic causing one to flee facing a bunched group of cow elk the wolves have little chance of a Kill the quadrant Mountain wolves give up wolves only succeed in killing about 15% of the animals they target Dawn finds white wolf near houses at Mammoth Hot Spring the canyon pack members accept humans as part of their natural environment the pack returns to a Kill made near the mammoth area like her mother white wolf whitens as she matures 712 is also showing gray around his muzzle 712 relies on his brothers but he's always VI about keeping them separate from his mate during breeding season white wolf will soon be an estris 712 and his brothers are the world to White Wolf so she lifts her tail to big gray yet there is still a deep bond between the two brothers the breeding pair often rest close together especially in winter when mating time near full now and dozing the Wolves ignore the Scavengers at their carcass nearby a golden eagle sees an opportunity a coyote carries some meat a safe distance from the Wolves coyotes often lose food to large Eagles like this but this time the coyote does not back down in the wild a single meal could mean the difference in life or [Music] [Applause] death in this case the coyote wins [Music] grey Hunter is an alpha male wannabe when he's away from 712 he marks his territory usually it's only the breeding pair male and female who lift their legs to Mark 712 has left whitewolf to investigate an old kill so he has left grey Hunter and white wolf together grey Hunter hopes to court white wolf it's his chance to become Alpha for the day researchers are studying why wolves how to locate each other Bond as a group claim territory or for other reasons known only to wolves one reason seems to be to Rally the pack separated members can locate unseen members big gray joined 712 in calling the two missing members grey Hunter responds by leaving white wolf to rejoin his brothers finally she also responds to to their howling taking her ribs to go wolves usually leave these parts to all the Scavengers Ravens Eagles magpies foxes big gray spots a strange wolf mange has affected this gray wolf the m is not native to Yellowstone but was introduced by the park service in the 1920s to kill wolves big gray seems to know that the wolf is too weak to be a threat some bison remain in the heart of Yellowstone and the Molly's pack stays through the winter to hunt them they have become specialists in hunting bison in deep snow the entire Molly's pack had contracted the mange might their stringy tals indicate the scratching they have enjoed bison are the most difficult and dangerous prey for wolves eventually all the mollies would survive the cold but also have thick healthy new coats even as they continued to prey on [Music] bison in the mammoth area the canyon pack has a much easier time finding food white tailed deer are a smaller prey which winter here with a cute hearing and long range Vision the deer is sensitive to signs of predators grey Hunter white wolf and 712 make a run up the hill in [Music] Pursuit the white tails are like Flags when they run from danger it is a signal to other deer the deer had a head start and have Escape The Wolves easily [Music] the deer are not a primary prey for the Wolves of Yellowstone they will have to turn their attention to other prey in Yellowstone Park groomed roads make travel between hunting grounds easier traveling in deep snow has an energy cost that the Wolves can now avoid now most elk move to higher elevations so the canyon pack will need to return too the packs home territory Hayden Valley the Yellowstone River flows through the center of Hayden Valley otter live in the river and thrive on fish they find there in Hayden Valley otters have had a good winter sometimes two otter families will meet they signal to other OTS that they have passed this spot by scent marking leaving droppings called [Music] scat capturing fish is for them easy and the primary item in their diet otter obtain their vitamins by eating the organs of their prey they are not solitary animals they like to run with the [Music] gang the scat droppings are territorial messages for other otter but the wol are attracted to the smells and the remains of the Otter's catches otter scat must be appealing if it's odiferous wolves like domestic dogs love to roll in it it's thought that wolves may do this to disguise their own smell the autod dropping smell is not threatening to Elk or bison so carrying the smell of the scat it may be easier for a Pres her to get closer to prey this is not a proven Theory however 712 just watches this activity elk returned to Hayden Valley on Spring migration with Puffs on the way whitewolf needs plenty of food 712 begins a hunt [Music] white wolf joins the chase usually the big males jump at the throat of the elk females attack the hindquarters grey Hunter Sprints in in the early morning Hayden Valley is often covered in [Music] [Music] fog this bear has newly emerged from hibernation 712 persists in hanging around trying for a bit of the carcass the bear says no [Music] way late spring is the Bountiful season in [Music] Yellowstone snows give way to rains and snow melt Waters the grasses trees and wild flowers every form of life hurries into bloom or birth mammals come into labor at this season so their young can make the best of the short growing season for ulates like elk the race is to birth and raise calves while there's plent plenty of fresh young vegetation wolves may take elk Cales but the amount of food that provides is small before the calvs are old enough to join their herds the cows hide them in downfall and grasses Bears have learned to hunt these newborns before they are seven days old when they become able to run bears kill more elk Cales than any other Predator more than the wolves kill [Music] [Music] Yellowstone sits in an ancient Caldera which still percolates just beneath the surface of the [Music] land for wolves spring is a hard season the elk becomes strong and can run unhindered now by snow it is a crucial time to make a kill white wolf is back at the den nuring pups so the three brothers are on an endless quest for [Applause] food they have taken on a cow with lots of fight left in her yet something tells the brothers she is vulnerable 712 fastens on her throat grey Hunter hangs on though he's nearly drowned big gray arrives to help from death comes life an eagle scans for mobs of Ravens and mag pies that usually get to a carcass first the males will Gorge to replenish calories but soon they'll carry food in their bellies to White Wolf there is now plenty of food to bring to the new pups the bald eagle will also Feast from results of the wolf kill she may be feeding chicks too for the next four years white wolf and 712 have litters together they will travel Yellowstone roads to drier elevations and then back again the seasons dictating where they will raise their family and where they will hunt elk in 2012 mange ran through the canyon pack some died but white wolf and 712 survived to raise yet another litter of pups the howl of the pack echoed over the valley another generation of Canyon pups have grown into yearlings the mange Mite has visited every wolf pack in Northern Yellowstone the might Burrows into the skin and causes scratching to where the hair may fall out wolves can recover to have a healthy coat once again but the infection can last quite a long [Music] time yearlings have a lot to learn about hunting some only watch their Elders make kills but the yearlings make a game of it although the elk may not appreciate the game the yearlings are full of energy and the game May last half an hour as the yearlings explore their hunting skills [Music] one even play bows to the elk the elk won't play so the young wolves turn to each other for play as they race back to the [Music] den grey Hunter still brings home meat he's found a bison cow in trouble though sick and dying this cow outweighs the wolf standing she can deliver fatal kicks when she faces him so he cannot attack but experience tells him she is too weak to fend him off the old cow will not live long anyway and so from death comes life the next morning the pack feeds on the old cow 72 carries off a great prize the liver but before the Wolves can eat much a large bear takes over the [Music] carcass [Music] the wolves are well practiced in running off Grizzlies but just as the large bear gives up a three-year-old subadult bear arrives he is half the size of the big male wolves do not ingest much plant food they obtain their vitamins by eating eating the organs of their prey wolves and bears are seldom seen eating side by side this Bear shows no aggression toward the wolves and this Behavior along with its small size allows the two species to feed side by side they allow him to share the meal with them most unusual in the world of the wolf this is one of the last grey Hunter gives to the canyon pack he'll soon to make his own way in the world without a radio caller to identify and locate him he is soon lost to Yellowstone researchers and observers but each year white wolf and her mate continue to produce and nurture pups some Thrive and then like grey Hunter [Music] leave their hows Echo from the surrounding [Music] mountains because their territory is so narrow and bounded by larger packs and because they live in such a forbidding climate the canyon pack never grows very large the litters are small compared to other packs in Yellowstone and yearlings seem to leave the pack more fre frequently perhaps the limitations of winter food also affect pack size but it seems to endure 712 has gone gray and white wolf has a fixed limp but even this year the pair miraculously has another litter for reasons unknown white wolf after 6 years abandons her Valley home she moves her pack out of Hayden Valley to the Old Faithful area the new white wolf in Hayden Valley is their 2-year-old daughter she has scoured the valley looking for a mate just in time a graying black wolf migrated into Hayden Valley 755 has a history he once headed a flourishing pack but human Hunters killed his mate 755 seemed to be riding [Music] High 755 joined up with a young white 2-year-old the daughter of the canyon pair for the last two years their pack the W Lake pack now calls Hayden Valley Home 755 has fed two litters with her [Music] in the summer of 2016 the lives of 755 and his W mate take an unusual turn the pack began the summer in harmony 755 had aged but he seemed an avid father with only two adults and a well-trained yearling the parents managed to feed four new pups the pups thrive in their forested den but one pup Retreats into the [Music] trees then three black wolves from the mol's pack looking to form a pack of Their Own turn up the three Molly wolves Chase 755 but do not catch him over the next month 755 returned to his den site to feed his pups when the three Intruders were not in the area but they prevent him from approaching his pack over and over they drive him away so 7:55 again travels the park looking for a future in their first encounter the female wpp yearling tests one of the invading males and finds him acceptable since 755 was chased away she accepts these males who were forly a threat to her the alpha female courts the new males even bringing her four pups to the roduction in a move that has never been documented in Yellowstone wolf history the white alpha female takes up with the three young males even though her mate is not [Music] dead the three Molly wolves bond with the two females and their pups to form a stronger pack one that can more easily defend Hayden Valley from encroaching pack [Music] the W pack is now the third pack that is called Hayden Valley Home and the third led by a white daughter the canyon white female still comes to Mammoth in the winter and her daughter now leads a pack in Yellowstone once again Hayden Valley is now the home of a third family led by a white female the granddaughter of the original white wolf she now leads nine wolves a new family to continue the Call of the Wild in Yellowstone National [Music] Park [Music] [Music] w

Channel: Apex Predators

Views: 52,445

Keywords: wolf pack documentary, animal documentary, white wolf, yellowstone national park, yellowstone national park documentary, yellowstone documentary, yellowstone wildlife, yellowstone animals, yellowstone wolves, wolves documentary, wolf, wolf pack yellowstone national park, apex predators, apex predators documentary

Id: iND8wDSdqpc

Length: 51min 52sec (3112 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 21 2024