Archive for: axel

This week’s photo displays a behavior easy to identify; we term it a “Squash” behavior.   One wolf literally sits on another wolf, squashing them to the ground.  This is typical of Axel; he is very expressive in his behaviors and very physical.  While this is likely a social interaction between Denali and Axel, you may notice Grayson is coming from behind with a high tail posture.  Axel and Denali seem to have a strong bond and are often observed wrestling, chasing and overall active behaviors.  This social bond may be paying off for Axel.  In the last few months, Denali has been favoring Axel at the Saturday evening carcass feedings, keeping Boltz and Grayson away from the carcass.  Grayson and Denali are a bit more contentious and certainly may impact future leadership roles. 

Staff monitor this closely by evaluating scat coloration and texture, which is influenced by the amount of meat in the digestive tract.  We also weigh the wolves, usually at the 2nd of the month that coincides with Axel and Grayson’s birthday.  

Tracking weights is an important part of pack management.  As noted in Axel’s chart, fluctuations in weight happens in winter, with some declines in weight likely due to more calorie output to keep warm.  Axel’s highest weight was in October 2017, when he weighed 110 pounds, now that winter is over, he is working his way back up to that weight. 

 

Date	Wolf	Weight in Pounds	Weight change since last data	Age
10/2/2017	Axel	110.4	4.8	17 months
11/2/2017	Axel	106	-4.4	18 Months
12/2/2017	Axel	103.5	-2.5	19 months
12/31/2018	Axel	101	-2.5	20 month
2/2/2018	Axel	98	-3	21 Months
3/2/2018	Axel	98	0	22 Months
4/2/2018	Axel	100.5	2.5	23 Months
4/30/2018	Axel	105.6	5.1	2 years

As the arctics near 2 years of age, we see the skeletal growth come to an end and the features they now possess will be their characteristics throughout their life.  Similar to Malik, our last set of arctic wolves born on May 8, 2000, Axel has a narrower muzzle and appears more slended in facial features despite being nearly 14 pounds heavier than his sibling.  His eye formation appears more almond-shaped in appearance.  Can you ID Axel in the photo?  If you guessed the left side of the photo, you guessed right.  When you look at the pelage, Grayson continues to display a darker saddle across his shoulders.  Behaviorally, the staff have been noticing Axel is quick to bound up to individuals, do a quick ride-up and mount, then bound away to display the same behavior to another packmate.  He doesn’t seem to follow any patterns or even a train of thought some days.  in a recent staff behavioral log, staff noted “At 3:30 today, Axel walked over to Grayson, who was finding a spot to curl up and rest by the observation windows when Axel came over, did a hip slam, chin rest and play bow towards Grayson, which elicited no response from Grayson, causing Axel to move on to Denali.”

Axel is definitely taking every opportunity to assert some status.  His tension is still quite high with Denali and Boltz, displaying ride-up behaviors doing some face-off behaviors, not to mention taking any opportunity to grab-bite Aidan’s tail.  Certainly, he has confidence; he was the more confident of the two pups and some of his behavior seems to be mirroring his pup behavior, but is that enough to lead a pack and is leadership a good fit with Axel’s personality?  Only time will tell, but independence doesn’t make for strong bonds.  We continue to see the importance of strong bonds between Grayson and Aidan.  If Axel leads, will he show the same level of trust and leadership for the 2020 pups or will they form alliances with the more social companionship of Grayson or Boltz? Even though it is only 2018, the preparation for the 2020 pups is underway and these are the kind of questions on the minds of the curator. 

Many people ask about identifying Axel and Grayson.  The most distinctive characteristic is the grayish saddle on Grayson’s back.  What if you are only looking at at a facial view?  One thing to note is the definition of the Axel’s muzzle.  Do you notice the more slender appearance with less of a sweep below the eyes?  If so, you are noting Axel’s characteristics.  If you add his behavioral characteristics of pulling pack member’s tails, then ID becomes much easier.   

In recent weeks Axel seems to be more aligned with Boltz and they are keyed in to any perceived weakness that Aidan may show. Staff were watchful of any issues when the arctics rejoined Aidan in the exhibit. But, things were relatively calm. There were deer legs and chickens available, and Axel was more interested in getting the food than in harassing Aidan. After the rest of the pack reunited Axel’s focus remained on the food. At one point he tried to get a cached chicken that Aidan defended. Axel then went to the top of the pump housing to retrieve the deer leg that Aidan had abandoned to protect his cache. Apparently Aidan decided he’d rather have the deer leg so he dug up the chicken and gave it to Axel. They ate side-by-side for several minutes on the pump housing with no issues.