One of the most distinctive wolves in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem
We are still trying to unravel a little mystery surrounding the most distinctive looking wolf (at present) in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem—or at least, we think he is the most distinctive wolf currently but check out this montage to see if you agree.
Wolf Y1T is the dominant male of the new Blood Moon Pack, which took over the Moonshadow Pack territory this past winter when the Blood Moon Pack was 4 wolves strong.
But we aren’t really sure how this came to be. Before Y1T settled down in this territory, we had several videos of him on various cameras throughout our study area traveling alone during the winter. I.e., he did not have pack mates in tow and appeared to be a lone wolf.
So then, the question, is: where did his other pack mates come from? Are they vestiges of the Moonshadow Pack or from somewhere else?
It is possible that Y1T just usurped the breeding male of the Moonshadow Pack, Wolf V079, who eventually died of starvation last February, and the 3 remaining wolves are V079’s mate and his 2 offspring.
Or, it is possible that the Moonshadow Pack dissolved in early-to-mid winter leaving a vacant territory. Y1T might have opportunistically found another a group of transient wolves and together they took over the territory.
Our only real chance at figuring this out will likely be genetics—in particular, if we can get genetic sample of the female and her offspring.
The Blood Moon Pack did not produce a litter of pups this year (the female clearly was not pregnant) and the two young wolves in the pack appeared to have dispersed in late spring or summer.
Currently, the Blood Moon Pack is just two wolves: Y1T and his mate who have been traveling together for several months. If they remain together this winter, they should produce a litter of pups next spring and we should get some good genetic samples from those pups to perhaps resolve this mystery.
Of course, these are the kind of simple dramas that play out all the time across the Northwoods that are very challenging to understand because observing wolves on a regular basis in these settings just isn’t feasible. Fortunately, we have trail cameras to get a glimpse!
Learn more about the Voyageurs Wolf Project:
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