Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post wolf-related questions and we'll try our best to find the answers.

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Re: Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post by Myk » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:10 pm

WOW!
I'd Firstly Love to say "Welcome to WolfQuest Dr. Dan McNulty, I'm Happy to have you here and Glad you Came!"

My Question is:

Is It Possible for a Dominant To Have a Pair, but Not the other Dominant?
So Like, One Alpha1 and ALpha2 Alpha1 has a Pair which is not Alpha Male ?
Last edited by Myk on Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post by Zethra » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:11 pm

Lots of questions, wow. It's good of you to come here, and answer these questions. I really don't have a lot, since research has answered most of them. But, I remembered something that I had told my mom regarding canine behavior, I think that it has to do with wolves. Sorry for anything incorrect, I am wondering if it has anything in relation;

I was mauling this over a bit, and this is what my question is regarding the estimate.

When a wolf pack wakes up from sleep, do they all wake up around the same time? If so, what if one where to not wake up at the same time as another, would they assume it to be dead? Greatly, what I was thinking is that a wolf pack would wake up at the same time as eachother, and that one would be a bit slower at waking up if it was ill. Or, that it would assumed to be dead. Is that even close to an accurate assumption?


I'm sorry if my question confuses you, and I wont rush you on answering it considering you have a lot of questions to answer.
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Re: Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post by canis007 » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:12 pm

Canidae wrote:
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.
It's hard to be sure about this since I didn't witness it myself, but your description suggests to me that Kiowa may have been howling in that unusual way because she was stressed for some reason. Not sure what else would explain it.
Atropine wrote: 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?
Excellent question. Both of the outcomes you describe are possible, but I'm not sure if one is more common than the other. If this is a topic that interests you I'd recommend you take a look at a study on this topic that is available at http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.2193/2006-305

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Re: Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post by Swift Night » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:15 pm

Welcome , Dr. Dan McNulty thanks for taking your time to answer theses questions.
I am wondering why do wolves eye colors change from when there a pup ( from blue to different color like yellow , amber etc ).
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Re: Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post by WQ Coordinator » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:19 pm

Amazing questions, guys! We're both really impressed! Thanks again for your patience. And just so you know, if it's close to 7:30 and he still hasn't answered all the questions yet, you can post your question and he'll try to finish answering the questions, even after the topic is locked.
Thanks for the avatar, Silverness!

I am no longer the acting administrator of these forums, so please read the WolfQuest FAQ and Tips, Hints, and Help forums for answers to any questions you may have.

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Re: Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post by Kovu-Ice-Crete » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:20 pm

Hi welcome to WQ! I only have one question:

Would it be possible that if a wolf pack was killed and only the pups lived that the attacking pack would take the pups in or would they just kill the pups since they are from a different pack?
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Re: Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post by canis007 » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:21 pm

Sky Eclipse wrote: 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..
Another good question. Yes, the dominant breeding pair tend to be the primary leaders of pack activity which can include traveling, hunting, chasing after rival packs, etc. But sometimes other wolves will lead the charge with the breeding pair trailing behind. It often depends on the age of the breeding pair as well as the age of the rest of the wolves in the pack. For more information on this topic check out these studies:

http://rparticle.web-p.cisti.nrc.ca/rpa ... no=z02-124

http://rparticle.web-p.cisti.nrc.ca/rpa ... no=z99-099

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Re: Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post by Skor » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:22 pm

Hello, Dr. Dan McNulty! Thanks for coming to answer our questions. You have a lot of them to answer, so no rush or anything, but when you get to mine, this is it.

Do wolves eat/lick flowers? If so, why?

That sounds weird, but I've heard stories about wolves doing eating them before, and we even had a slight discussion about it on here. It's almost always a flower called the Shooting Star, if I recall correctly, and I was wondering if the stories were accurate, and what wolves would gain from it if they did. Thanks in advance.

Thanks so much for coming again!
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Re: Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post by -Ratchet » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:24 pm

That's great Cana! I wish their could be more time, and that wolfquest wouldn't be so slow, is it okay if I post another question? =3 And there is no rush ^^


1.) Why can wolves see in the night, why is that their eyes can just adjust in the dark, so they can see?

I get a bit confused about why wolves can see in the night, and other animals cannot. What does it have to do with their eyes, that help them or allow them to see in the dark?

2.) Why is it that the Dominant Female and Male are the only ones, that usually breed?

This question may be on Wolfquest already, but I thought I would ask it :D

Why is it that they are the only ones who breed? Is it because they are the ones who are dominant, and lead the pack? I know that from what I read, other females do breed too.
Last edited by -Ratchet on Thu Oct 21, 2010 6:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post by -x- Silvie -x- » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:26 pm

Thanks for letting us know Cana! ^^ However I do have one question regarding that: if we have more than one question by that time, might we ask all of them?
Thanks again for coming, Dan, and good luck with the answers! =D
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Re: Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post by Sky Eclipse » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:28 pm

Thank you so much for answering my question, Dr. Dan MacNulty! It helped me a lot! :D Good luck answering the rest of the questions!

I may post another question later; I'll give others a chance, first. :3

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Re: Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post by WQ Coordinator » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:28 pm

I'd say wait for another half hour or so before posting your second question, please. Then you can post multiple questions in one post, though he may not have time to answer them all. He'll take priority on the questions that are asked by people who haven't had a question answered yet.
Thanks for the avatar, Silverness!

I am no longer the acting administrator of these forums, so please read the WolfQuest FAQ and Tips, Hints, and Help forums for answers to any questions you may have.

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Re: Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post by canis007 » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:29 pm

BooboosPiggy wrote:Do wolves cache a lot of meat, and do packs take meat from a kill back to the den?
Yes, wolves do cache meat and they also do deliver meat from a kill to the den. Wolves living in places where prey are scarce, such as in the High Arctic, seem to cache more than wolves living in areas where prey are abundant, such as Yellowstone National Park. This probably reflects how the incentive to store meat away for later consumption is greater when the likelihood of finding another prey is low.

More information on caching is available in these studies:

http://www.jstor.org/stable/4534102

http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord. ... cookie=yes

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Re: Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post by -Ratchet » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:31 pm

Oops! I am so sorry Cana. I will make sure I do. ^^
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Re: Live Wolf Q&A with a wolf expert!

Post by -x- Silvie -x- » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:33 pm

Thank you, Dan! I love an official answer. Thanks again, and good luck with answering all the others' questions. :3
Oh and thanks for that Cana; I'll be sure to mind.
Last edited by -x- Silvie -x- on Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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