Funny Wolf pictures

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Wolves Might Use Their Eyes to Talk to Each Other

It’s no secret that wolves, foxes, and dogs are highly social animals. But beyond all the wagging, pawing and yipping we like to try to interpret, canids may have yet another way to communicate. New research hints at the possibility that dogs and their ilk could be sending each other signals with their eyes.

A team of Japanese researchers looked at pictures of nearly every canid species and found that those with highly social pack and hunting behaviors were more likely to have easily-visible eyes. They then watched some of those species interact in zoos and concluded that those with eyes that were easier to see were more likely to be social. The results were published in a study in PLoS One on June 11.

“What this study shows is that there’s a correlation between facial markings and sociality and the need to communicate,” said zoologist Patricia McConnell of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a dog behavior researcher who was not involved in the study.

The scientists organized 25 different wild canid species according to their facial features (using around a dozen photos of individuals from each species) into three groups and then looked to previous research to characterize the social behavior of each group.

Source: Here

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Wolf puppies in Alaska saved by firefighters

Kenai Peninsula, Alaska - five, abandoned wolf puppies have been found by firefighters while fighting a gigantic fire that broke out last May 25 at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.

The crew secured the western portion of the wildfire when they heard the canine cries.

"We actually cut through part of the den with the dozer and just kept going. Nobody realized anything," says one of the firefighters Brian Nichols to the Peninsula Clarion.

They found the pups in a dehydrated and covered in porcupine quills.

"It's just like holding a dog, they were hungry and trying to suckle on anything. It was just like holding a puppy." Said Nichols.

The pups were rushed to a zoo in Anchorage, to receive medical care and treatment. The good news is, the pups are all alright and are expected to survive. The pups were found to be 3 males and 2 females, all named after the rescuers: Hooper Bay, Huslia, Stebbens, Gannet, and X-Ray.

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Wolves Play Important Role in Yellowstone Park Ecology

In nature, taking away one detail from the natural ecology of an area can shift the balance of the whole ecosystem. This is what happened when the wolves that naturally roam the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming United States, were taken out. However, when the wolves were re-introduced after 70 years of absence, the ecology in Yellowstone dramatically changed.

Since the wolves were not around, the population of deer began to grow out of control. Although human intervention was already used to regulate the deer population, it still wasn’t enough. They had grazed a huge amount of the park’s vegetation. In 1995, wolves were taken to the park and this changed the behaviors of the deer. They then started to avoid certain areas in the park like valleys and gorges which in turn, helped the vegetation to re-grow. In a span of less than a decade, the trees became taller, bare spots of lands became forest of willow, aspen and cottonwood which attracted other animals.

The regrowth of the vegetation triggered other species to come back and repopulate faster such as beavers and wild birds. Population of other animals in the park like bears started to become larger, mainly because of the availability of food.

This amazing effect is called the trophic cascade. This is an ecological process that begins on the top of the food chain and affects everything below it. Re-introducing the wolves gave the park a chance to regenerate and give life and homes to hundreds of species of animals and plants. 

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Wolves Changed Yellowstone Park Ecology

In nature, taking away one detail from the natural ecology of an area can shift the balance of the whole ecosystem. This is what happened when the wolves that naturally roam the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming United States, were taken out. However, when the wolves were re-introduced after 70 years of absence, the ecology in Yellowstone dramatically changed.

Since the wolves were not around, the population of deer began to grow out of control. Although human intervention was already used to regulate the deer population, it still wasn’t enough. They had grazed a huge amount of the park’s vegetation. In 1995, wolves were taken to the park and this changed the behaviors of the deer. They then started to avoid certain areas in the park like valleys and gorges which in turn, helped the vegetation to re-grow. In a span of less than a decade, the trees became taller, bare spots of lands became forest of willow, aspen and cottonwood which attracted other animals.

The regrowth of the vegetation triggered other species to come back and repopulate faster such as beavers and wild birds. Population of other animals in the park like bears started to become larger, mainly because of the availability of food.

This amazing effect is called the trophic cascade. This is an ecological process that begins on the top of the food chain and affects everything below it. Re-introducing the wolves gave the park a chance to regenerate and give life and homes to hundreds of species of animals and plants. 

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Wolf HD Wallpapers

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Mexican Gray Wolf Population on a Rise in Southwestern Region

The Mexican gray wolf population in the Southwest has continued to soar recording a 10 percent annual growth highlighting the positive impact of management actions and reintroduction efforts.

The annual year-end population survey by the Mexican World Interagency Field Team (IFT) revealed that there are currently 83 wolves roaming in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico. The population strength indicates a 10 percent rise in the Mexican wolves' population when compared to the population that existed in 2012, which was 75.

Source: Here

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1st-Century Roots of 'Little Red Riding Hood' Found

The oldest big cat fossils ever found - from a previously unknown species "similar to a snow leopard" - have been unearthed in the Himalayas.

The skull fragments of the newly-named Panthera blytheae have been dated between 4.1 and 5.95 million years old.

Source: Here

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Do "Kid Cages" Really Protect Children From Wolves?

In rural Reserve, New Mexico, children wait for school buses inside boxy, wood-and-mesh structures that look like chicken coops. The "kid cages" are meant as protection from wolves. But are they even necessary?

The issue is part of a long-simmering political debate, which recently came to a boil in the Southwest when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it wants the Endangered Species Act to cover about 75 Mexican wolves in New Mexico and Arizona. That would make it illegal to kill these wolves—a smaller subspecies of gray wolf—and expand the area where they can roam safely.

Source: Here

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Wolves’ Howling Linked To Social Structure, According To New Research Findings

Wolves have long been a source of fascination among humans for their complicated social structures, but new research into their howling may help to unlock some of the nuances in social behavior within packs.

A new study conducted by international researchers suggests that wolf howling is more a signifier of high level emotional bonds between wolves than of emotional stress, as many researchers previously believed.

Source: Here

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Zoo Animal Pictures

 

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