Tag: wolf pup

Watch: Wolf pup learns hard way that squirrels will fight back

Extraordinary trail-cam footage shows the young wolf receiving at least two bites to its snout while trying to secure its meal.

Trail-cam footage captured recently in Minnesota shows a wolf pup discovering that capturing squirrels can involve painful consequences.

“This wolf pup learned that squirrel bites on the nose don’t feel so good,” the Voyageurs Wolf Project stated via X.

The footage opens with a slow-motion sequence in which the pup sends the squirrel flying after receiving a bite on the tip of its snout.

It picks up with more of the hunt, at regular speed and in slow motion, including a second bite to the snout.

One viewer described the action as a “food fight.”

The footage certainly underscores that life as a young predator includes working hard for just about every meal.

The Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem is a vast boreal forest that includes Voyageurs National Park. The Voyagers Wolf Project, with the help of trail cameras, studies wolves in the region.

Watch: Tiny Yellowstone wolf pup leaves den, encounters bull elk

“At just a month old, this was likely the first time the young wolf had ever seen an animal of this size,” the tour company explained.

A tour guide in Yellowstone National Park this week captured extraordinary footage showing a tiny wolf pup emerging from a den to find itself face-to-face with a bull elk.

“At just a month old, this was likely the first time the young wolf had ever seen an animal of this size,” Yellowstone Wolf Tracker explained via Instagram. “The two shared a quick glance that seemed to make time stand still.” (See video below.)

The description continued, “This moment, although short-lived, made us onlookers ponder questions regarding what the future might hold for the young wolf.

“Would this encounter potentially shape the wolf into a fearless hunter? Are we possibly seeing the makings of a future pack leader? Only time will tell!”

The footage is grainy because it was captured, by Michael Sypniewski, through a spotting scope from a distance of 3/4 of a mile.

Leo Leckie, spokesman for Yellowstone Wolf Tracker, told FTW Outdoors that the pup belongs to the Junction Butte Pack in the park’s northern range.

The Junction Butte wolves “have become skilled bison hunters over the years,” Leckie added.

Yellowstone wolves also prey on elk, deer, and smaller mammals.

Wolf pups are born in early spring. They typically begin to emerge from dens at 10-14 days, according to the park. They stay at the den site for up to 10 weeks.

Yellowstone Wolf Tracker offers wolf-watching expeditions throughout the year.