The Wolf Page

MIRACLES IN THE SNOW
THE FATHER OF WOLVES
THE GRAY WOLF
AN ANGRY WOLF
CUTE WOLF CUBS
BOOKS TO READ
DOWNLOAD PC DESKTOP WALLPAPER OF A WOLF (131kb)

MIRACLES IN THE SNOW

Through the transient fog of the dark winter night, peered haunting blue eyes with their soft glowing light. The powerful stare with its brilliance and intricacy, brought on a shivering response full of caution and mystery. They seemed to float through the air with great charm, in an effort to announce that "they meant you no harm." Yet as subtle as the movements had tried to be, an eerie feeling of desolation abruptly overtook me. As I fell to the frozen, unforgiving, forest floor, I noticed those two eyes had been accompanied by two more! Soon there were three enchanting pairs upon me, watching and listening, gliding through the trees, With one final shiver the dark night became black, I knew as I slept, that I would not be coming back. I dreamt of a thousand things that night, mostly about a past I wanted to fix and make right. The bright morning sun was the next thing I saw, which was followed by the touch of a rather large paw! And after providing a steaming kiss on the nose, the wolf disappeared, and I arose. In the snow at my feet, there were paw prints all about, and the surrounding outlines of the bodies, which helped keep the winter out. The howl which followed, echoed forever it seemed... conveying the heartfelt message, "you are important to me." The "Spiritwolf" written by Brian D. Schmidt.

THE FATHER OF WOLVES

A pup went to his father with questions in his mind,
about the world around him; about life, nature and time.

First he asked about the world, about how he came to be,
about how he knew right from wrong and about the mystery of the sea.

The father smiled and answered his son in a riddled rhyme,
"Your life will go onward from now and you shall know in time.

But over the course of time remember that you have in your paw,
the power to give life by mercy and the power to kill by the claw.

But always know you are no king, for nature has given this power to others,
Though they shall not harm those who live a good life, for all of nature is your sisters and brothers."

The pup nodded to this father then asked him some other words,
About the bountiful river and the mighty caribou herds.

The father smiled and answered his son again, looking into the young pups eyes,
answering with the same soft spoken words, in the same riddled rhyme.

"The water we drink and food we eat is granted to us for life,
but each must only take as much as they need, for that is only right.

But each is destined to grow old, and to soon after have all health gone,
So then they might fall prey to nature so that others may live on."

The pup again nodded once turning to his father to ask him of his life,
How he had come to know all he did about his pain, suffering and strife.

"My son," he whispered to the pup still gazing in his eyes,
"I know of what I speak my son, through using my own mind.

I'll tell you of what I've seen my son and of what the shamans preach,
Live your life well but harm no other, for the purpose of life is to teach."

To this the pup just nodded, making this knowledge his own,
he then sweetly nuzzled his father, as the enlightenment in his eyes shown.

Then the father spoke unto his son about the strangest of nature's clan,
Of the ones who've learned so very little, he warned his son of man.

"Be fearful son of a race called man for they know not what they do,
They have been gifted abilities far beyond our own, yet utilize so few.

They act not for their brothers and sisters, but for the betterment of one,
They've violated many of natures laws but know not what they've done.

Man has abandoned the powerful mind he has which first allowed him to thrive,
But he will reap what he has sewn once he can no longer survive."

With that the father nuzzled his son and bid him on his way,
knowing his son would lead a wealthy life and pass his knowledge on one day.

Kayotae Blackwolf

THE GRAY WOLF a.k.a. The Timber Wolf (Canis lupus)

• Distinguishing Features: The Gray Wolf typically has brownish, salt and pepper coats and cinnamon behind the ears
• Lives in family packs consisting of a mated pair, their offspring, other relatives and outsiders; typical pack size is seven to eight adults, plus the present year's pups; all members of the pack share in the care of the young
• Complex social hierarchy within the pack: the strongest male is usually the pack leader; the pack leader eats first, followed by each subordinate member of the pack, according to its place in the social order; social standing also influences the order in which wolves within the pack are allowed to choose a mate; the only time the social structure is set aside is during group howls, when all the members of the pack howl together without any apparent regard for leadership each pack has a home territory of 500 to 600 square kilometers; although pack territories sometimes overlap slightly,
• Each pack remains in its own area and usually avoids contact with neighboring packs; pack patrols through its territory continuously, sometimes covering more than 15 kilometers in one night (wolves travel more often and over greater distances than any other North American terrestrial animal except the caribou)
• Gray wolves are among the greatest marathon runners of all the world's animals. It can lope, without pause, at a steady speed for 20-25 miles at close to ten miles per hour

• Most travel and hunting occur at night; travel is usually accomplished trotting in a single-file line, although the pack will sometimes fan-out to increase its chances of flushing prey; wolves can run up to 50 kilometers per hour over short distances, but do not usually attempt long chases... instead, they rely upon the element of surprise and organized pack hunting skills (especially ambush and cutting-off an animal's retreat) to capture prey
• Only the very youngest and the most debilitated adult deer and moose are in danger of being eaten by wolves; most healthy deer can easily outrun a wolf pack; most healthy moose will stand their ground when surrounded by wolves... eventually the wolves leave to seek easier prey when they do make a kill, the wolves consume most of the animal within a few hours; if a very large animal is killed, the pack will stay in the vicinity of the carcass for a day or more, until they have reduced it to scraps
• Primarily nocturnal and active throughout the year in the winter, several smaller species of birds and animals depend upon the scraps left behind by wolves for their survival: Bald and Golden Eagles, martens, fishers, foxes and ravens

• Do not howl when chasing or killing prey, but rather to communicate with each other:

  - Group howling as a form of social behavior or bonding within the pack: observers have noted that much tail-wagging and friendly interaction accompany group howls; in the summer, group howling occurs most often at sunset, just before the adults leave the pups to go on their nightly hunting rounds, and at sunrise, as the adults return
  - To keep in touch with each other while travelling separately through the forest at night
  - To warn other wolves that they are nearing the pack's territory pups begin to howl toward the end of July; between August and October (until pups are strong enough to join in the hunt), they are left on their own each night at a "rendezvous site" (a beaver meadow or dry marsh) while the adults patrol and hunt; while on their own, pups willingly howl in response to virtually any stimuli (including human imitations of wolf howls);

• Contrary to the "Big Bad Wolf" reputation given to the wolf, wolves shy away from physical contact with humans and there have been very few wolf attacks on humans in recorded history
• Size: Gray Wolves are smaller than average: up to 1 meter in length and 30 kg or less in weight; elsewhere, Gray Wolves are typically 1 to 2 meters long and weigh between 26 and 59 kilograms. Females are smaller than males
• Lifespan: 10 to 18 years
• Habitat: forests; beaver meadow or dry marsh "rendezvous sites"
• Food Sources: large or medium-sized mammals (especially beaver; deer or moose when available), mice, birds, fish, insects, berries
• Reproduction: mates for life. 5 or 6 pups, born each May; pups stay in den until June; are moved to "Rendezvous Sites" from July to September or October and then join the pack on hunting patrols; some pups leave the pack at one or two years of age

BOOKS TO READ (in addition to the Jungle book)

Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat(1965) Wolf Wars by Hank Fischer (1995) In Praise of Wolves by R. D. Lawrence Vanishing Wildlife of North America Thomas B. Allen, (1974) Wild Dogs - The Wolves, Coyotes, and Foxes of North America by Erwin A. Bauer (1994)

This material can be used to fulfill partial requirements for the Naturalist Badge.

April 25, 2005