How do red wolves behave?
The life of a red wolf is not as simple as it may seem. There are many complex social, biological, and ecological factors that affect red wolf behavior and interaction with the world around them. From communications between individual red wolves to surviving in a world shared with humans, there are many diverse and complicated components to how red wolves behave both in the wild and in captivity.
Wolf Header Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Wolf Header Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
DID YOU KNOW:
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Contrary to popular belief, Summer is actually the toughest part of the year for red wolves. Prey is often harder to find due to the lack of snow prints and the abundance of view-obscuring vegetation. The weather can be unforgiving, and thunderstorms and even hurricanes can put red wolves in danger. On top of that, red wolf pups born in Spring still need food and protection from their parents.
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What do red wolves eat?
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Diet: Red wolves commonly prey on smaller mammals. Creatures such as nutria (which are similar to muskrats), rabbits, raccoons, mice, rats, and other rodents are a frequent source of nutrition for red wolves in the wild. Red wolves may also attempt to hunt white-tailed deer if there is no other prey easily available.
Finding and Catching Food: Red wolves will often travel for miles in a single day while searching for food. They can hunt alone or together in groups, and can take in up to five pounds of food a day when possible.
Image source (top): Mitch R. Image source (bottom): United States Fish and Wildlife Service |
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How do red wolves behave in the wild?
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Winter: Red wolves typically breed during the second half of winter ( once a year between the second half of January to the end of February). This time of year is also the easiest time for them to find food due to the lack of vegetation to conceal prey as well as tracks left in the snow.
Spring: The first half of spring is a time for red wolves to prepare for the arrival of pups by creating dens and finding food sources. Red wolves have a gestation period of about two months, (8-9 weeks), with pups born in April and May.
Summer: This is often the hardest part of the year for red wolves. Food is harder to find due to concealing vegetation and more frequent movement of prey, and more energy must be expended in the heat in order to find resources. Pups also have to be raised and fed during this time, so red wolf parents are under extra pressure to provide for their families. In coastal areas, inclement weather can also pose a hazard to red wolves due to flooding.
Fall: Young red wolves begin to perfect their hunting skills around this time as food grows more abundant and the weather grows colder. To stay warm, red wolves begin to grow longer coats of fur (which were shed in favor of a lighter coat in the spring). Image source (top): United States Fish and Wildlife Service Image source (second from top): United States Fish and Wildlife Service Image source (third from top): United States Fish and Wildlife Service Image source (bottom): United States Fish and Wildlife Service |
How do red wolves behave around humans?
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Red wolves are extremely shy and even fearful around humans. They will often do just about anything they can to avoid being near any form of human presence, be it machines, roads, or similar locations. In some cases, however, red wolves will build dens relatively close to farms, where prey (such as deer or mice in the fields) can be spotted more easily. In this way, red wolves can be beneficial to farms in that they help to control various agricultural pests. Image source: United States Fish and Wildlife Service |
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How do red wolves behave around each other?
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Family life: Red wolves live in family groups (packs) that usually consist of two to five wolves on average. These groups usually have one mated pair, some immediate relations, and the young of that year. Packs of red wolves often work together to find food and to take care of pups.
Interaction with outsider / "stranger" red wolves: Red wolf family groups have their own territories, which they defend passionately against other wild canids, including other red wolves. However, red wolves may find new acquaintances outside of their original family group after leaving to live on their own (which happens at 1-2 years of age) in order to form their own packs or breeding pairs. Image source (top): United States Fish and Wildlife Service Image source (bottom): United States Fish and Wildlife Service |
How do red wolves communicate?
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Red wolves use a variety of vocalizations from long sustained howls to short barks. They also use other non-audible communication methods such as scent marking, tail and ear position, and overall body posture. There are still many mysteries involving wolf communication, and research is still revealing new information. Click on the audio player to hear some of the sounds that red wolves make, such as howling, yipping, and barking, for yourself. Image source (left): United States Fish and Wildlife Service Image source (right: United States Fish and Wildlife Service Audio file sources: United States Fish and Wildlife Service |
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Information sourced from the Red Wolf Coalition and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
