Yellowstone National Park has shared video footage showing wolves delivering bones and other skeletal remains to their den to keep younger wolves occupied.
The park explained via social media:
“Pups await food deliveries from successful hunts, but in the absence of food adults bring ‘toys.’ The instinct to bring items back to the den may be reinforced by evolution, and probably helps keep adults from being mobbed by sharp puppy teeth.”
This spring, Yellowstone biologists documented adult wolves from the Mollie’s Pack traveling back to their den with some interesting items. https://t.co/AAMjoqL3c9 pic.twitter.com/vVh8GUM1Gz
— Yellowstone National Park (@YellowstoneNPS) August 22, 2023
The footage was captured by park biologists last spring and involved members of the Mollie’s pack.
As of January 2023, 10 wolf packs were known to reside inside the park. The overall population was estimated at 108 wolves.
The Mollie’s Pack is named after Mollie Beattie, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during the wolf reintroduction effort in 1995.