Denali – Wading in for a Treat

Denali has enjoyed the summer enrichment that result in ice cubes, beaver tails or other treats in the pond.  Not only does he get the benefit of the treat, but he cools himself as well.  Denali seems to have a tendency to keep his undercoat longer than the other wolves and the larger body size is a bit harder to cool.  We are most grateful for Anika Hahn’s donation of the UV filter to treat the water for algae.  We have had a clean pond all summer and can easily see the bottom level or rocks. This definitely makes Denali’s treat search easier.

Denali – Alert and Standing Tall

This week’s logs were written by the Bio 1476 – Wolf Ethology Students:

Like most of the other wolves, Denali has been taking it easy during the day due to the excessive heat.  He was most active during Saturday’s feeding, where an alliance with Axel was observed.  Denali actively blocked other pack members from the carcass.  The Arctic’s initiated several bouts of testing behaviors with Denali. He showed his dominance by placing his head over Grayson’s neck and attempted a stand over, but Grayson was quick to resist.  It was apparent that there is an alliance between Denali and Axel, which will be interesting to watch as fall becomes winter.   Denali has lost a bit of weight his summer and the loss of his summer coat makes him appear more sleek.  His current weight is 136 pounds. 

 

Denali – Tables Turned

In the past month, we’ve observed the start of some yearling testing that is part of the maturation process with wolves.  To the human’s that have a tendency to support the underdog, it’s important that the wolf care staff step back and analyze before intervening.  Our past experience has taught us that intervening or blocking interactions makes the displays more intense.  The timing of this dominance is a bit earlier than we have previously experienced, typically we don’t see much effort until the cooler days of fall, but Aidan’s more reserved behavior after his surgery may have created a bit of a void in leadership, prompting the yearlings to test.  Why are they testing Denali and not Aidan?  There are probably a lot of reasons; Certainly the bond is stronger with Aidan and the yearlings might be less confident and not willing to engage with Aidan.   If we turn back to the introduction day on August 7th, 2016, you may recall that Denali was the most antagonistic towards the pups.  This could be why the tables are turned.  Things have calmed back down again, but staff are working on multiple contingency plans and distraction techniques to be prepared for the transition from yearlings to adulthood for Grayson and Axel.  We have been through it before, we have experience with Grizzer testing Shadow and Malik, Denali testing Grizzer, Maya suppressing Aidan and on some days, Luna testing all.  The social dynamics and rank order of wolves has a complexity that is important to understand and appreciate as a key component to survival in the wild. 

Denali – Head Rest or Squash

Denali is taking advantage of Grayson as a headrest although, some might interpret it as an active dominance behavior called a squash.  How do you tell the difference?  If it were a squash, it’s likely that Grayson would resist it and be posturing to get up, using his feet to push Denali away.  In this photo, you will notice that Grayson’s feet and tail are relaxed, showing no indication of a struggle.  Staff also witnessed Grayson serving as a resting spot for Aidan’s leg as he recovered after his surgery.  This might be the way that Grayson shows pack bonding.  It is a common behavior for pups to just flop down on one another while resting, this could just be the residual pup in Grayson and Denali as well. Denali continued to show food aggression towards Boltz and Grayson on the carcass with less guarding towards Axel.  This is in contrast to Aidan who seems to show more dominance towards Axel than Grayson.  Grayson had a bit more focus and chasing from Denali and Boltz while Aidan was not feeling well, but the pack seems to be returning to normal.  The yearlings even took advantage of Aidan’s presence and did a duel ride-up on Denali. 

Denali – A Lot of Hair for the Start of Summer

Denali has always been the last wolf to shed his undercoat.  We continue to brush him to encourage shedding, but there is a lot more hair to remove before the hot days of summer.  People often comment about Denali’s coloration.  He is more golden brown in coloration than Aidan, but as he ages, he has some interesting patterns of white on his head and down the middle of his muzzle.  It may be another month before all of his undercoat has shed.  In contrast, the pups have completed the shed process and the remainder of the ambassador wolves are in varying stages of a summer coat.  Most have kept the hair around their necks.  When working with the wolves, we often like to have another perspective on the wolves behavior that is independent of our wolf care time.  From January – April, the Vermilion Community College Ethology class completed 100 hours of observation on the Exhibit Pack and had the following assessment on Denali:

“Denali has the advantage of being the largest current pack member. He and Aidan are also most senior. Regardless, he shows little interest in rank or dominance. His days of testing other pack members may be behind him. Rather, Denali seems most comfortable when left to his own devices (commonly demonstrated by a relaxed T3 position, delayed participation in or abstention of group behaviors, and the ignoring of others).

Despite Denali’s showing physical signs of aging (i.e. lightening of his pelage and long periods of rest), he continues to display an inquisitive, almost pup-like set of investigatory behaviors. Whether he is observing from a resting position (e.g. RSX with EP or EPTS) or actively investigating (WK, RN, SF, SCP, PA, etc.), his frequent pricked ears and wagging tail demonstrate a continued interest and excitement with regards to his surroundings and pack mates. Even though Denali spent most of his time resting (69%), he was often still alert and paying attention to what was going on around him. He even selected more advantageous resting locations, like above the central pump house, to oversee activity within the enclosure.

The infrequent times in which Denali displayed dominance or aggression mostly had to do with food and food possession. Even Aidan was not immune to Denali’s stares and lip curls when food was involved. Denali also spent significant time and energy dragging carcasses away from others and caching food, albeit in nearby, highly visible places like the central den.”

 

Denali – Who’s Behind Me?

When the Youtube video was processed this week, there were subtle, but significant behaviors in the Exhibit Pack.  In Aidan’s log reference was made about the blocking behavior conducted by Boltz towards Aidan while the yearlings were in the pond.  Subtle in that there was no contact, but significant in the Boltz displayed a T-2 tail while Aidan averted his gaze and walked up the hill with a low tail and flat ears.  In the following few minutes of video, video revealed Denali coming out of the pond immediately followed by Grayson.  The behavior to note is the tail postures and the ear positions.  Grayson has ears pricked forward and a tail slightly above his back (T-1), as Grayson continues to follow, Denali’s ears go flatter in submission and his tail drops lower in confidence the longer Grayson follows him.  Of course, where one yearling goes, so shall the other.  With two yearlings following Denali, it’s clear that the behavior is having a desired effect.  Denali later put up a submissive paw and submitted to Axel with Grayson “Standing Tall’ over Denali.  These subtle behaviors will be noted throughout the summer, but the real action will likely occur as the yearlings near two years of age.  Denali has been through it before with Boltz and Luna and seems to be on the alert to the events of the day.  

Denali – Lighter

In this week’s photo, we took this close up of Denali and Axel.  Denali’s pelage is getting so light as he ages that in a closeup, his head looks like an arctic wolf.  As we zoom out, we notice the difference, not to mention the 148 pound body that is more typical of a northwester subspecies than an arctic subspecies. 

Denali- A Winter Coat on a Spring Day

Of all the ambassador wolves, Grizzer and Denali have the thickest winter pelage.  The difference is, Grizzer is starting the annual shedding process, but Denali looks like he’s holding out for a bit more winter.  Since there is snow in our forecast, Denali might be better prepared for the unpredictable nature of spring in Minnesota.  During the April 17th medical exams, Denali had a dental inspection in addition to all the other bloodwork and tests required by your USDA Vet Care Plan.  He has worn down one of his pre-molars and we knew from a previous exam that he had broken a front incisor.  Both issues show no sign of infection or concern. His bloodwork is excellent and shows no signs of changes to his thyroid function that can be an issue for older wolves. Webinar participants celebrated Aidan and Denali’s 9th birthday on Thurday the 27th with more activity from the Eagles, Ravens and Turkey vultures than from the birthday boys.

Denali – Lighter with Age

Axel’s log identifies a pattern of guard hairs appearing to lighten as he ages and becomes a yearling.  We note the same pattern for Denali, but on the other end of the aging spectrum.  When wolves age, they typically show a graying of the muzzle and less distinctive markings.  But, it’s not a uniform graying pattern; we notice that the wolves seem to have different patterns of aging, such as Aidan, who is maintaining a significant amount of pelage markings and Denali who is fading into a light colored coat.  Could this be related to rank? Genetics? Hormones such as stress?  I don’t have the answer to that;  What I do know is that when we observe wolves, we talk about behaviors such as ears pricked forward, direct stare, hackles , T1 tails, all parts of the body that have a characteristic marking that appears to be correlated with communication.  Highlights around the eyes make that intense stare more noticeable; Highlights around the lips will definitely draw attention to a lip curl; Highlights around the ear tips will be noticeable when a wolf’s ears are pricked forward in a heightened state of alert; Highlights at the shoulders and tail will be prominently displayed with hackles and tail posture over the back.  To understand wolves, we need to study them not only behaviorally, but physiologically as well.  To hear more about Denali’s life in the Exhibit Pack, consider joining us for his Birthday Webinar on April 27th at 6 pm Central Time.  Follow this link for details and registration. https://wolf.org/programs/webinars/ 

 

Denali – Can Dish it, But Can’t Take it

Denali has been on the delivery end of attention towards the pups since their introduction into the pack.  His 148-pound body displayed chasing, pouncing and pinning behavior to the pups as part of his daily greetings.  Axel learned to accept it and even came to mimic Denali creating some lengthy bouts of social interactions and tug-of-war scenes over deer carcasses.  Grayson, being a bit more timid in personality, took a while to see this behavior as enduring.  Grayson learned to stick close to Aidan and avoid the interactions, unless he was luck enough to gain possession of a deer hide.  Now that the pups are nearing a year of age, Grayson is no longer sitting on the sidelines;  He’s an active participant, that is, when Aidan’s in the picture.  But, Denali who has certainly dished out his fair share of interaction, is less than cordial with being the recipient of attention.  In this photo, Axel is on the far side, and his tail is low, somewhat indifferent to Denali; Remember, he’s spent the last 8 months engaging in Denali’s interactions.  What’s noticeable in this photo is Grayson’s tail.  His tail is facing the camera and is the best description of T1 – over the back arousal.   Also noteworthy in this this photo is that Aidan is quite relaxed about Grayson’s new found confidence.  Staff don’t intervene on this interaction, intervention can be lead individual wolves to think they “won”.  When staff deal with these interactions, we always make sure we leave the enclosure with an assessment of tension.  Shortly after this 2-minute bout of ritualized dominance, we had all wolves in close proximity during a pup feeding with no tension between any of the individuals.  Wolves display ritualized dominance to keep order and reduce more intense discourse.