Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

[WQ Coordinator]

Hey all you wolf fanatics! Ever wanted to talk to an expert in the field of wolves and wolf research to find answers to all your wolf-related questions? Now's your chance! On the evening of Thursday, October 21st, 5:30-7:30pm (Central Standard Time), Dr. Dan MacNulty, wolf biologist from the University of Minnesota (and Content Advisor on the WolfQuest Development Team), will be on the WolfQuest forums (on this topic unless otherwise noted) to answer your wolf questions in a live chat.

Please be prepared with one relevant question per person. If everyone has already had a chance to ask their first question, then you may ask a second question. This topic will be unlocked only for the live Q&A, so if you have questions beforehand, please feel free to ask in the latest newsletter topic in the WolfQuest News and Announcements forum.

[WQ Coordinator]

Alright,the Q&A is now open! Please ask just one question per person until everyone online has had a chance to ask, and please be patient for your answer. Thanks!

[Wolf Runner1]

Yay! I'm the first person! 8D


Hello Dr. Dan MacNulty!

First off I want to say thank you for coming, and I hope you have fun with our questions. =D

My question is:

When you are in high school, what should you be doing to attempt a career with wolves, and the sciences? Such as; what courses should you take, and what extracurricular activities should you do to prepare for college and jobs?

Thank you very much!

~Wolf Runner1

[-Ratchet]

I have been so excited for this!

And I thank you for coming so much!!! Welcome, Dr. Dan MacNulty, I hope you have a great time answering all of these wolf loving fans questions!

Here is my question, I will post my other two later


Why do wolf packs, or other wolves, if they are the opposite gender, why do they react aggressive towards lone wolves?

This is also a thought that bothers me time from time, why do they act aggressive towards lone wolves, I know it could be a possibility that they act aggressive towards them because of their territories, but is there any other reason why they do act aggressive like that? Also, they would not accept the wolf right away, they would test it or something, correct?


Thanks!!

[Canidae]

I have a question relating to a behavior I observed once while working at my volunteer job.


Kiowa, a yearling female, was sitting off in the corner of the enclosure by herself and continuously letting out a series very high-pitched howls. The two male wolves in the enclosure with her were laying off by themselves, paying her yowling no attention. This seemed unusual to me, since howling was usually something the three of them all enjoyed together. The female's howling also seemed a bit odd to me--I'd heard her howl before, but never like that.

So I walked closer, sat down on the other side of the fence, and howled with her. This went on for a solid five minutes, and her howls never changed from the whiny, breathy, high-pitched tone.


My question is this...why would she have been howling like that? That one event remains the only time I have ever seen her howling by herself, and her howl was different from her usual tone.

[Atropine]

I've been looking forward to this! :D

I have a question - in a normal wolf pack consisting of a breeding pair and their offspring, if one of the breeding parents died, what would happen? Would the remaining wolf seek out a new mate from outside the territory, or would the pack began to break down?

[Sky Eclipse]

Yay! Finally, I was so excited for this. x3

Firstly, just wanted to say greetings Dr. Dan MacNulty! As Wolf Runner1 and Coventina said, thanks for coming to answer our questions! :)

Now on to my question. :3

I get a bit confused with the social structure of a wild wolf pack when it comes to the dominants; Does the dominant pair actually 'lead' (or even command..?) their pack, or are they just the most dominant ones, etc? I know the dominant pair are what their title is: the most dominant as well as the only breeding pair, and I know they have the most social freedom (as I have read) but I was a bit curious on if they really did lead the pack and such...

Thanks a bunch! :D

[WQ Coordinator]

Alright, guys! He's working on answering your questions, but because some of these answers will be fairly in-depth (and because our internet connection is lagging right now), it may take a bit for him to respond. So thanks for your patience!

[-x- Silvie -x-]

Okay, Cana! And welcome, Dr. Dan McNulty! =D I've been very excited for this as well, as it's a great time to hold with National Wolf Awareness Week. A perfect time to learn about wolves. ^^

Anyways, here's my question, though I did have more:

Do wolves cache a lot of meat, and do packs take meat from a kill back to the den?
I've heard of wolves doing this and not doing this, though I thought it would be an interesting thing to learn the official answer about. Thanks for taking the time to answer. :3

[Cama]

I have a question that can be answered when you can get to it.;

When are wolves most active? Or do they live a randomly schedualed (or however you spell it) day/night?

I am kind of asking this so I know when my wolf should be awake when 2.5 comes out.

[Adalae]

Hi Dr. Dan xD I have a question regarding working with wolves:

If you became a veterinarian in exotics, would it be possible to work with wolves, such as in a zoo of some sort? I know it would take a while but is it possible in that branch of veterinary medicine?

Thanks ^-^

[canis007]

When you are in high school, what should you be doing to attempt a career with wolves, and the sciences? Such as; what courses should you take, and what extracurricular activities should you do to prepare for college and jobs?

Hi Wolf Runner,
When I was in high school I was active in an environmental conservation club mainly because environmental issues were a huge interest to me, and not necessarily because I thought it was my career path. But looking back I guess I do see at as one of the first steps I took on my career as a wildlife biologist. So I'd recommend getting involved in a similar type of club at your school mainly to educate yourself about all the current environmental issues and develop your interest further. I also took an advanced placement biology course, which came in handy once I started college.
Good luck!
Dan

Why do wolf packs, or other wolves, if they are the opposite gender, why do they react aggressive towards lone wolves?

Aggression can occur within the same pack or between packs, or in the example you raised between a pack and a lone wolf. In all cases, aggression is mainly motivated by competition for food and the opportunity to breed. Among wolves in the same pack, aggression can also be mistaken for play behavior which is common among younger wolves, and sometimes between parents and their offspring.

[Alpha Female]

Hello Dr. Dan MacNulty, thank you for coming! =3

My question is this:
If a dominant wolf decided to leave the pack, would it? Or would it just never leave it's pack, since it is a dominant and all?

Thanks!^^

[-Ratchet]

Thank you very much for answering my question! I will let others ask some more questions, then I shall post my others Good luck answering them!

[Wolf Runner1]

Thank you very much Dr. Dan MacNulty! If there is an opportunity, I will post my other questions later! Thanks for coming!

~Wolf Runner1