"Listen to them, children of the night. What music they make."
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You are not likely to see a wolf near a highway or human camping area.
Wolf packs are known to keep buffer zones between their own territory
and those of other competing packs; including those of human "packs".
However, it is not uncommon to hear them calling if you travel into the
Algonquin interior. If a wolf pack is known to be within calling distance,
park staff in Algonquin Park may convene a wolf
howl for park visitors in the early evening. Wolves howl most often from
mid-summer to late fall. Wolves are more likely to respond to an imperfect
attempt by a human than a pre-recorded wolf howl; they seem to be sensitive
to the harmonics in the call.
Wolves appear to call to define territory which avoids conflict between
neighbouring packs and also to keep in touch with other members of their own
group. Early settlers interpreted these calls as a threat and use them to track
and kill wolves. As top predators, wolves had not developed defences against
being the hunted instead of the hunter.
More Wolf History
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Source: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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Wolves have excellent vision, hearing and smell. They prefer larger animals
such as deer, moose and beaver but will eat mice, squirrels,
birds, fish, berries, fruit, insects, grass, etc. For larger prey such as deer
and moose, wolves tend to prey on the more vulnerable: sick, weak, older or
younger animals; this is more efficient and they are less likely to be hurt
themselves in the hunt. Wolves eat their food quickly to avoid losing it to
larger predators such as bears or scavengers, the origin of the expression
"wolfing down food".
The "lone wolf" is not typical; wolves are social animals. Wolf packs are
headed up by male-female pair of wolves. It is normally only this pair that
has offspring. The pack also hunts cooperatively which gives it a better
chance against larger prey animals.
The domestic dog is descended from wolves, although in some cases the
acorn has fallen far from the tree. The human master has taken on the role
of "the leader of the pack".
The wolves of Algonquin could possibly be a subpopulation of the "red wolf" which
was also found in the Southeastern United States.
The "Newfoundland Wolf", a unique sub-species, became extinct by the 1930s. Although
it was not well-loved by the inhabitants of the island, a crash in the caribou population
may have contributed to its decline.
Wolf Links
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