Boltz – Still Plays Like a Pup

Wolf Logs written by Wolf Watch participants Steve Houglum and Marcia Mummau. 

Boltz is still such a juvenile wolf at times.  During the Wolf Watch program, participants observed he and Luna jaw sparring, tail wagging, chasing each other with what appeared to be little regard for energy conservation.

The Wolf Watch program is generally offered on the first Friday of each month, allowing participants to join wolf care staff as they observe the pack interactions and record any behavioral data that helps determine pack dynamics.

Boltz – The Face with a Thousand Expressions

Wolves are social carnivores and when we talk about social interaction, they can be very expressive.  Boltz is one of those wolves who seems to always have a look that indicates a complexity to an interaction.

Boltz – With a Notorious Look

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words and Boltz’s notorious eye stare has been featured many times in these logs.  It’s the classic look for a wolf that seems to assess the surrounding threats before making the “flight” decision.  As we have spoken before, some of this is the age in which we socialized him to our Exhibit, some is his personality trait.  Each wolf seems to bring something else to the pack, and Boltz brings a classic eye stare.

Boltz – Not quite pack leader yet

Our wolf watch participants witnessed a number of testing displays from Boltz towards Aidan, often involving him charging up to Aidan with a high tail and giving him a direct eye stare. Aidan appears to be ignoring these behaviors however, which could be a sign that Aidan is not concerned with Boltz’ rise in testing.

Learn more about the behavior of our captive wolves, and wolves around the world through our webinars and Lecture Series.

Boltz – A Year in Review

What a difference a year makes…

Boltz’s tail shows a T-1 posture, a sign of intensity, and in this case, it’s involved in a social greeting, but a T-1 tail can also be a sign of aggression, predatory behavior or threat display.  In the last month, Boltz has show an increase in intensity, particularly towards Aidan, but Aidan maintains a strong show of leadership and has become more physical in showing Boltz some limits. 

In contrast, this post was from a January 2014 log:

“Boltz continues to show tendencies to be the lowest ranking pack member and we have spent a lot of time trying to keep his confidence level up and make sure he takes enough initiative to get his fair share of food.  He does seek out the straw beds and is frequently resting with Luna.”

What a difference a year makes…

Boltz – Keyed in to the Environment

Staff noticed Boltz panting and looking up repeatedly one day last week. There was no evidence of anything that could have frightened him, or otherwise made him so nervous. Wolf care staff conducted an extra perimeter check and found no tracks, nor downed branches. It’s important to remember key things that tend to make the wolves nervous, such as things moving over their heads. Likely a branch did fall down near to where Boltz may have been sleeping, causing him to exhibit this nervous behavior. We’re happy to report that this has subsided in the days following whatever may have occurred.

Boltz – Weary but Engaged

Boltz wasn’t in much of a mood to interact this week, but he played an active role in the pack antics. Luna commonly instigates said antics, and Boltz is often ready to get after his pup mate. The interactions between these two have been a bit more intense as the winter has progressed. Perhaps Boltz doesn’t like the idea of being subordinate to his sister.

 

Boltz – Social or Opportunistic?

Boltz is a very social wolf. More social with other wolves than humans perhaps, but a social wolf nonetheless. Very frequently he’s found sleeping beside another wolf, food begging to Denali, or perhaps playing with Luna. Lots of social behavior comes from Boltz to all of the pack members, but testing behavior comes with it as well. We’re seeing a very strong focus from Boltz towards Aidan. Whether this will lead to a change in status this winter is uncertain.

Boltz – On His Terms

 Wolf care staff always have to be mindful of how we interact with Boltz. Due to his late arrival to the International Wolf Center, he’s not as trustful as some other wolves. He has good days and bad days, some days he may come right up to wolf care staff and solicit a greeting, other days he may just want to sniff staff, and nothing else. His confidence has improved greatly this fall however, due to his independent sessions with wolf care staff, we see more of the social greetings from him day-to-day.

Boltz – Focused on Aidan

Aidan is known for his dislike of new routines and activities in the wolf yard. The Wolves to the Web webinar series is another routine that he is slowly getting used to. Some anxiety from Aidan though is picked up by Boltz, who is quick to take advantage of the situation and test for some status. For now, Aidan maintains his role well, and takes most of it in stride, but this testing behavior will likely determine Boltz’s place in the pack this winter.