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Posted by Granite Head (63.166.31.240) on 14:05:20 07/02/21
In Reply to: And before I left the park posted by Granite Head
After feeding (really, barely gleaning) on a rotten old bison carcass for quite a while - providing onlookers and photographers quite the enjoyable show - this member of Yellowstone's wild Wapiti Lake wolf pack sauntered toward the bank of the Madison River, gulped huge mouths-ful of water, then went back up the bank and within seconds, vanished into the trees.
I'm calling her "Capitolina," recalling the statue of a remarkably similar-looking wolf who, according to legend, saved the twin (human) founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, by nursing them until they were rescued by a human.
This photo and several others of this wolf taken at various angles reveal prominent nipples, suggesting she either currently, or in a recent past whelping season, had pups. I don't believe she's actively nursing now, as the mammaries are not engorged as one would expect from being away from her babies for as long as she was gnawing on the carcass. She is also far away from the main pack (which is quite large at 20 adults plus this year's pups), although one other wolf has been seen in the vicinity. Wolves need someone to stay with the pups while others hunt, and two wolves is not enough to bring home sufficient food for a litter and adults.
This wolf is not the alpha female of the Wapitis. That she's previously had offspring is evidence that the alpha is not the only member of a pack that can have pups, as is commonly believed.
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